God’s Gardening

April 4, 2109

It took four years, but Linda finally convinced me to let her cut down the holly around the fish pond opposite our driveway. I liked it the way it was, but to her it’s been an eyesore. Since she’s more important to me than any holly, I agreed to let her go at it, and she did. About two thirds of the way through, she had to quit to help our daughter in the kitchen at church for Spring Fling, our Vacation Bible School, so I figured I could help her out. Armed with loppers and a rake, I set to cleaning out the rest of it, and in the process made an interesting discovery.

Covered by all the overgrown holly was an old millstone. We have a big one as the heat sink for our wood stove, and a smaller one outside our back door. Now we have three, and it occurs to me that life is often like that overgrown holly. I know people whose lives have gotten like that out of control holly. There is something valuable hidden beneath all that overgrowth, but no one can see it. We are made in the image of God, but like that holly, sin covers that image so much that often we are hard-pressed to see it. We need Someone to come in and clear everything away so God’s original handiwork can shine forth in all its glory. That Someone is Jesus Christ. 

We have to invite him to do his work; he won’t barge in without our consent, but when we ask, he comes in with the loppers and rake of the Holy Spirit and gets to work. Before long, all that stuff that hid his original creation gets cleared away, and our true selves are revealed. Letting Jesus do his work is like going on a treasure hunt inside our own hearts. There’s a lot of debris that needs cleaning out, but once it’s done, we are often amazed at what we see. 

That garden is getting a makeover. Maybe a heart makeover is also in order. If so, I need to give the Lord permission to start cutting and raking. Who knows what he’ll find buried inside me? Tonight I’m grateful for Linda’s persistence with the garden, and for God’s persistence with the garden of my heart.