Lessons Learned in The Garden

My family and I just moved to a different house about a year ago. It is has been a blessing to live here, as it meets each of our needs so perfectly.  One of the best attributes that we have all come to enjoy is the backyard. And it is an area that most definitely needed a great deal of attention in order to be fully appreciated and enjoyed.

You see, this house sat unoccupied for over a year before we moved in. You can imagine the state of disarray and disrepair that had befallen the unattended backyard –no watering, no weeding, no trimming, no pruning. It had truly become a ‘wild’ environment where anything goes. It was our own personal Jumanji and the ‘jungle’ of wild life was ready to be tamed.

Luckily, I had two very willing assistants, my daughters, Meagan and Kelsey, who were ready and able to join me in the daunting task of conquering this wild outdoor habitat. It took us 7 days and 8 full trash cans of debris to whip this backyard into usable condition. Once the space had been prepped and cleared it was time for the real work to begin – tilling, planting and growth.

I used soil, fertilizer, soil nutrients, mulch, flowers, plants, tools, weed killer, bug spray, gloves - everything that could possibly be needed to make this backyard space a perfect outdoor living environment. It took me roughly 4 weeks of hard labor and lots of love to make the transition from wildlife habitat to tamed backyard.

During this labor of love I began to hear the Lord speaking to me about the similarities between all of this physical work and the work of my spiritual life. I know this comes as no surprise to anyone who has been a Christian for any length of time, as the Scripture is constantly using garden analogies to make comparison to our spiritual lives, but these particular lessons that the Lord taught me caught me off guard and made me think.

Allow me to share the lessons learned in the garden (my backyard):

1. Despite all the same work of tilling, feeding, watering and weeding the soil, I could still plant 2 of the exact same bushes 3 feet apart and watch one of them thrive and flourish while the other struggled just to survive. For the first time I saw things from the perspective of the Gardener and realized that each plant requires personal care and attention based on the exact conditions and circumstances that arise from their exact location.

I saw my own life in these plants – in one area I was thriving and growing with just a little effort (i. e. journaling and reading my Bible).  Yet there were other areas where I was struggling when showing the same effort (i.e. dealing with anger or self control).  The challenge was to meet each “plant” or area of my life with the necessary effort and focus that will cause it to grow.  One area might need more prayer, more counsel, more discipline, more focus, where another happens a little easier.

2.  Weeds (a cheap and free alternative that I didn’t want) popped up out of nowhere and grew at a rate much faster than the bushes and flowers (items of worth and value that I did want) that I purposefully planted and desired to grow. 

I saw the physical weeds as a spiritual metaphor. There are always going to be ‘free’ alternatives that cost nothing to initially buy and will show growth at a much faster rate and actually might be attractive. However, ultimately the weeds will consume the ‘real’ plants and flowers as their root systems choke out the foliage that I truly want to grow and flourish.

There have been times when the weeds in my life are when I am searching for the approval of man.  I worked hard to prove myself and show that I was worthy, and at times, it caused my family to suffer.  The instant approval of man can look good, as some weeds can.  But ultimately, it choked out life in me, because I was seeking to please man rather than God.

3.  My yard had endured a full year without water, food or any care at all. Yet somehow I really felt that after 3 weeks of back-breakingly hard work on my part - consistent watering, feeding, and maintaining - that I could reverse the neglect of 52+ weeks and get this environment back into shape. But a long time of neglect takes a long time to be brought back to health and life.

This reminded me of the spiritual ‘quick-fix’ that often gets communicated, either intentionally or unintentionally, that once I choose Jesus and begin to change my life all will go well and my garden will be fruitful. This is not necessarily true!  The Lord showed me that true environment change takes time and that the consequences of neglect and bad habits will not disappear just because I have begun the process of change. It must be sustained over consistent seasons in order to bring about the desired results.

In this current season of struggle there were several things said about me that were very hard to hear. I had to take those things before the Lord and find out what was true and what was not.  And of what was true, what would require life change. So then, after implementing these personal changes for two or three months, why hasn’t everyone’s opinion changed along with it? After all the changes have been made haven’t they? The Lord was using this to show me how although immediate change is good true change will be measured over time and with my consistency.     

Using this metaphor of a garden makes me think about my spiritual life very differently. And begs a few questions:

Am I being purposeful in my spiritual garden or just allowing things to happen?  

Am I truly being the gardener that I have been called to be and doing all the work necessary to ensure personal spiritual growth?

Am I being purposeful and feeding the soil of my soul, asking God to remove rocks, watering the ground, ensuring proper sunlight, and keeping the grounds free from weeds? Or am I being accidental and allowing things to-fall-where-they-may based on the blowing of the wind, receive water only when it rains, and weed only when it becomes a problem?  

I hear the Lord calling us to cultivate a spiritual ‘green thumb’.  Let’s not wait another day to get started!