The Heart of a Gardener

I am a gardener and I love to plant things and watch them grow and produce. Unfortunately, I did not inherit my mother's "green thumb" and some of my planted things end up in the trash heap. I love to plant and I love to water, but I don't like to weed and yet I have to do it (or my husband does!) in order to keep the plants growing strong and my gardens looking good.

I just recently planted some new herbs and tomatoes and was musing about my delight over their progress and how it reminds me of Abba Father and His care over me. I go out first thing every morning to see if the plants have grown or if new ones have sprouted up. I check my mature tomatoes and fruit trees to see if they have started to put on fruit. I get so excited to see fruit forming and new sprouts starting and growing. I carefully tend the "babies" and shelter them out of harm's way. The more mature plants can take the full sun and elements and need it in order to grow bigger and stronger and more able to produce fruit. I'm sure you see where I'm going with this.

Our Father, or husbandman, watches over us with a similar type of anticipation and joy. He delights to see us growing and is constantly providing what we need in order to grow strong in Him and to produce the fruit of His Spirit in our lives. He carefully tends us, shelters us & teaches us how to remove the "weeds' that can stunt our growth and prevent fruit from setting. His joy in seeing us grow strong and healthy and bearing fruit is much deeper that what I experience with my plants, but I think He allows me a glimpse of His heart with my garden. I love showing off my plants to others and talking about what they're doing and how great their harvest. I love sharing the fruits of their growing with others and seeing them enjoy those fruits as well. I even love talking to those plants and praising them for a job well done at the different seasons - don't laugh, it works! What a picture of our Father and His joy in us, His plantings! I could go on and on with analogies, but I'll stop here and let you share some of your own with me. I'm so thankful for the extraordinary love of Abba Father for me!