The Garden
A few years before my husband became a believer I planted a flower garden (anyone who knows me knows that this was a huge step of faith as I do not plant!) in an effort to prove to him that God hears ours prayers. I told my hubby I would never even have to work in it or weed it because I had prayed over it and God would do the work for me. He watched with guarded optimism as I began planting. Its true! God could have prevented any weeds from cropping up and he could have done all the work, but in this case that wasn’t the PLAN, at least it wasn’t God’s plan! A few weeks into my “garden of faith” a weed bigger than I have ever seen before grew up smack dab in the middle of all the beautiful array of flowers. I was confused and irritated. I couldn’t believe God would let me down like this. I had the perfect plan; my husband was going to become a believer out of this! What was God thinking?! Reluctantly, I went outside and got to work. I pulled and plucked, I raked and hoed, since I was already on my knees I figured it was a good time to talk to the real gardener of the family; Jesus. I had a lot to say, like what was wrong with my plan; didn’t he see what a good opportunity this was to teach my husband; and why didn’t he answer my prayer? I kept digging and weeding, my hands were dirty, my knees were hurting, and the sun was beating down on me. Then it hit me, you all know the “it” I am talking about. It’s the “it” of God when he reveals to you something knew, something you were missing, a weed in your perfectly planned garden of life. People, like gardens, take work; we can’t just plant and forget. We have to take time to tend to them, to water them, to weed them. We have to get down on our hands and knees, sweating, digging and getting dirty for them. We have a responsibility to do something with what we know. Faith requires us to take action. James 2:17 says, even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. When we don’t take action when it is needed, Sin, just like a weed in a flower garden will take root in our lives and grow and grow until the beauty of our life is choked out from being unattended.
Father, thank you for your faithfulness, for your patience in me as I grow to learn what it is you require of me. Remind me to take the time to weed my own garden so that I can be a blessing to others and help them to weed theirs. Father, stop me and correct me when I don’t live up to the responsibilities you have entrusted me with. I pray, Lord, that I won’t be afraid to get down and dirty for the people in your garden. Jesus, we look forward to the time when we can walk in your perfect garden with you and enjoy the fruits of our labor. In your precious name, Amen.
Take sometime this week to “weed” your garden. Read over James and pray for God to show you areas in your own life you need to cleanup. Maybe there is someone you have neglected; maybe it’s a friend, a spouse, or a stranger that you haven’t followed up on a commitment with. Take time this week to make it right. Get down and dirty for Him! Let’s weed those gardens ladies!
James2:14-17 What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? )If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and be filled," and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.
