Gardening

I am starting to learn more about gardening and have been thoroughly enjoying it!! Our little flower garden has a long was to come before it gets to where we want it, and we have a lot to learn before we'll actually KNOW how we want it, but I really can't wait for it to be gorgeous! I am amazed over and over again by how meaningful life is. God has weaved so many illustrations into everyday life and has giving meaning to the simplest of things! I have come to a point of realization that gardening is a commitment. If we really want it to be healthy and beautiful, we not only have to keep our grass cut, but we have to water daily now that the rainy season is over, and we have to prune and weed regularly. My new favorite tool is the pruning shears Marvin purchased the other day! I get a little afraid that I might accidentally cut my finger off while pruning because I get so excited to finally be able to cut all the dry, ugly, unhealthy looking areas of my plants away, and it is so sharp! (Please pray that never happens!) I have been meditating though on the illustrations God himself teaches us through gardening. Over the last several months, I have definitely felt the Gardener pruning out some of those bad, dry areas of my life. There is so much more left for Him to prune! I can imagine Him looking at us just as we look at our gardens--with that excitement to see the garden grow and be beautiful and a vision that one day the roots will grow deep and the plants will be strong and healthy! I was a little afraid to prune my garden at first because I felt like I might leave it without any leaves! (You can see how little I know about gardening despite being around an amazing mother who gardens!) However, I've started to learn that if I cut off the bad parts of the plants, even though my plants look a little "bald" in the meantime, it allows the plant to no longer have to waste their energy on those bad areas! In the long-run, they will be so much healthier and more beautiful! The Lord definitely knows what He's doing when He's pruning us as well! Don't stop pruning me Lord! Another thing I have felt through my time of gardening is a call from the Lord to water my plants daily--not just the plants in my garden, but the seeds of my heart. Lord, teach me to be steadfast and consistent. I must daily remain in Him to bear fruit. I must daily water those plants in my heart by spending time with Him, talking to Him and spending time in His word. One last thought: you may have noticed in my pictures my little Honduran decorations in my gardens. A frog, mushrooms, a tall pot, and a little well. I have thought many times since decorating my cute little garden with mushrooms just how Honduran it is (which I love)and have wondered what my American friends think of our style! Ha! I am reminded just once more of what a creative God we have who has made this world of such diversity! He likes and delights in all the cultures of the world! I like to think that He even likes and delights in our style! Ha!! These are just a few of the great lessons we can learn from everyday life.