STEPPING STONE TWO: THE GARDEN
Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 1:24 pmIt seems so fitting a place to begin a journey, the Garden.
After all, it is where the struggle first began.
God created this perfect and beautiful place where all of our needs were met
Given freely, for no particular reason other than His immense love for us
I try to imagine sometimes how the fruits of such a Garden would taste
Imagine savoring the fruits from a Garden planted by the hand God Himself?
I do not believe the world will ever know such sweetness again until His return
Mankind will never (in this lifetime) delight in such perfection on earth as in the original Garden
Instead, the world continually perverts and contaminates that which should be cherished
We are, most of us, an ungrateful lot.
Free will... it's an incredible gift, really.
Surely God, in all of His magnificent glory could force us to our knees; He is God, after all.
I understand that God has a perfect plan.
I believe there are necessary evils in this life
When I say "necessary" I mean it was intentionally put here to create the balance and awareness
I do not mean that it is necessary to allow evil into our lives
But, we must at least be aware of it, if we are to be successful at avoiding it
How could we ever define Light without the darkness?
How can we begin to testify about Goodness unless we have witnessed evil?
Temptations of the world surround us in every garden, on every path, road and highway
"Weeding" the garden is such a powerful metaphor.
I am learning that if I want my garden to thrive and flourish, I must tend to it
I can not run away (realistically or metaphorically) and try to plant a new garden somewhere else
And, I especially pray that this other woman realizes that she too must plant her own garden,
And not covet and attempt to reap the harvest of that which does not belong to her
It falls under the "thou shalt not steal" covenant
Respect my garden, admire my garden, emulate my garden
But for the love of God, woman, go plant your own Garden!
I am happy to share, I am a giver by nature
Christ was the Ultimate Giver
But, we do not "take" from Christ, we receive Him
Big difference!
So, I will continue to go about my gardening, knowing full well that weeds will always find a way to sprout.
Because that's what weeds do, it's their job.
And, it is my job to understand that balance.
To fully appreciate the Grace and beauty of my garden,
I must continually pull the weeds,
Not with contempt, but with graciousness
So that I am reminded that I am not alone
The struggle between that which is good and evil began in the original Garden
And it continues to this very day
I have faced the serpent head on
I do not fear her
God put it in my path for a reason
And suddenly, when faced with all that is wrong and broken in this world
when you stand good and evil side by side and are able to draw the comparison
It is only then when everything that is pure and righteous in the Lord becomes crystal clear
Guilt and sin hide in the darkness because it is full of shame
Just as Adam & Eve initially hid from the Lord
And God called them out into the Light
Because in His presence there is no hiding
There is only Truth
We can lie to each other, and even to ourselves
But we cannot lie to Him for He knows what is in our hearts
None of us are perfect, we are sinners, all of us
And, eventually, we will all be called out to come stand in the Light
So, today I pray, not only for God to forgive my own weaknesses that he may strengthen and bless my marriage; But, I also pray for my enemies -
That they too may see the Light and come to know His Grace
That the world might be a better place.
I ask all this, today and everyday, in Jesus Name
Amen
After all, it is where the struggle first began.
God created this perfect and beautiful place where all of our needs were met
Given freely, for no particular reason other than His immense love for us
I try to imagine sometimes how the fruits of such a Garden would taste
Imagine savoring the fruits from a Garden planted by the hand God Himself?
I do not believe the world will ever know such sweetness again until His return
Mankind will never (in this lifetime) delight in such perfection on earth as in the original Garden
Instead, the world continually perverts and contaminates that which should be cherished
We are, most of us, an ungrateful lot.
Free will... it's an incredible gift, really.
Surely God, in all of His magnificent glory could force us to our knees; He is God, after all.
I understand that God has a perfect plan.
I believe there are necessary evils in this life
When I say "necessary" I mean it was intentionally put here to create the balance and awareness
I do not mean that it is necessary to allow evil into our lives
But, we must at least be aware of it, if we are to be successful at avoiding it
How could we ever define Light without the darkness?
How can we begin to testify about Goodness unless we have witnessed evil?
Temptations of the world surround us in every garden, on every path, road and highway
"Weeding" the garden is such a powerful metaphor.
I am learning that if I want my garden to thrive and flourish, I must tend to it
I can not run away (realistically or metaphorically) and try to plant a new garden somewhere else
And, I especially pray that this other woman realizes that she too must plant her own garden,
And not covet and attempt to reap the harvest of that which does not belong to her
It falls under the "thou shalt not steal" covenant
Respect my garden, admire my garden, emulate my garden
But for the love of God, woman, go plant your own Garden!
I am happy to share, I am a giver by nature
Christ was the Ultimate Giver
But, we do not "take" from Christ, we receive Him
Big difference!
So, I will continue to go about my gardening, knowing full well that weeds will always find a way to sprout.
Because that's what weeds do, it's their job.
And, it is my job to understand that balance.
To fully appreciate the Grace and beauty of my garden,
I must continually pull the weeds,
Not with contempt, but with graciousness
So that I am reminded that I am not alone
The struggle between that which is good and evil began in the original Garden
And it continues to this very day
I have faced the serpent head on
I do not fear her
God put it in my path for a reason
And suddenly, when faced with all that is wrong and broken in this world
when you stand good and evil side by side and are able to draw the comparison
It is only then when everything that is pure and righteous in the Lord becomes crystal clear
Guilt and sin hide in the darkness because it is full of shame
Just as Adam & Eve initially hid from the Lord
And God called them out into the Light
Because in His presence there is no hiding
There is only Truth
We can lie to each other, and even to ourselves
But we cannot lie to Him for He knows what is in our hearts
None of us are perfect, we are sinners, all of us
And, eventually, we will all be called out to come stand in the Light
So, today I pray, not only for God to forgive my own weaknesses that he may strengthen and bless my marriage; But, I also pray for my enemies -
That they too may see the Light and come to know His Grace
That the world might be a better place.
I ask all this, today and everyday, in Jesus Name
Amen