So, I have been itching to get my fingers into the soil to plant something! I don't want to be too hasty, for fear I will lose precious seedlings in this unpredictable Colorado climate! It has been since September when I last was able to garden. Last fall I added about 50-60 tulip bulbs to my front yard, covered them with mulch and a prayer and decided I would see them in the spring. My tulips are being shy this spring and are just barely poking their heads out of their protective leaves, but within the next week, I am sure I will see a colorful display! I can hardly wait for the reward of a beautiful bouquet!
As a gardener, you become a big part of giving life to a garden and there is a lot to do when you are gardening...preparing the soil, watering plants so they grow, harvesting and pruning for the next crop, being patient, being committed, upkeep and pulling the weeds that want to destroy the garden, nurturing, protecting, and the list goes on! All of this and more is needed to maintain life. What a huge amount of energy and responsibility it takes to maintain a living garden!
Gardening is a lot like our relationship with the Lord. When I think of the words that Jesus spoke in John 15:1-8, I understand that we need a Master Gardener in our lives. Jesus says, "I am the true Vine and my Father is the gardener. He lops off every branch that doesn't produce. And he prunes those branches that bear fruit for even larger crops...Take care to live in me, and let me live in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit when severed from the vine, nor can you be fruitful apart from me..."(Living Bible). We cannot produce fruit on our own merits, just as my tomatoes cannot thrive without the help of my gardening skills.
This spring, while out in my garden I will continue to be in awe of the correlation between garden and gardener, God and mankind. I am so thankful that I have a Master Gardener in my life! I need him every day to help me to grow, learn, and produce the fruit that glorifies him!