Gardens by the Creator

Gardens can inspire and awaken the senses.  They attract birds, insects, and wildlife.  Often they provide peace, respite, and healing for the frazzled soul.  As you recall, Jesus spent his final hours praying in the Garden of Gethsemane with his disciples, before he was betrayed.

Genesis opens in the Garden of Eden, where Adam and Eve roamed in perfect harmony with one another and their Creator.  "And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed." Gen 2:8   

Today romantic types seek out beautiful gardens in which to walk and talk.  Creative types take photographs, draw and paint, or hold concerts in gardens.  Reflective types read, journal, and meditate in gardens.  Hospitals provide gardens to promote healing for their patients.  

Did you know the French painter Monet spent the last 20 years of his life gardening and painting those water lily gardens in Giverny, France?  Such a lovely legacy that is still enjoyed by many today.

Will you you slow down to be dazzled by the designs, colors, scents, and shapes of tulips in Keukenhof, Holland?  

Gardens lift the spirit; worship and praise overflow in our hearts.  We glimpse the Kingdom of God made visible here on earth as we walk or sit in such places.  This summer why not stroll through a garden or even plant your own?

Fall Gardening

 

Dedicated to Janet.

It is good to be outdoors in the sunshine, doing good work among plants.  Gardens can be peaceful places of quiet and beauty.  Wearing old, comfortable garb is one of the perks.  You may rearrange pots and plants to create a new look in a familiar space.  Creativity springs to life.  Perhaps you'll be inspired to pull out paper and paints?

Forget the techno stress of the printer that no longer prints.  Absorb beauty.  Look skyward for soaring hawks. Listen to chirping crickets and woodpeckers. Watch squirrels dash about hiding nuts. Exhale stress.  Inhale peace.  

If you're the type who likes thrills and mysteries, gardening is what you want.  There is the surprise skunk sauntering along the patio at dusk.  There are deer tracks by missing blossoms.  If you prefer a challenging workout, try digging up a stump with shovel and hatchet or cutting down a hillside of weeds gone wild.  Build physical stamina and perseverance; gardeners are hearty folk after all.

In these autumn months, don't miss out on the joys of gardening:  burying bulbs around the yard, trimming trees, and the like.  

We are made in God's image.  God was the original gardener.  Let's follow his example, abide in him, and be fruitful this fall.

"And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed."  Gen. 2:8