Lessons from the garden

One of the joys of moving to a new house is the delight in discovering, as the natural growing season progresses, which plants are in the garden.  We moved to our new house in January, a time when most of the garden was dormant and there were few signs of what was to come.  Over the past few months we have witnessed the growth of various plants, some of which have provided unexpected but much appreciated beauty.

My late dad was a gardener in his early working life.  He had a real gift which he used to good effect.  In our early married lives, Sue and I very much appreciated dad's help in sorting out our garden whenever we moved home.  He somehow seemed to have the ability to completely transform a garden's appearance in a remarkably short time.  Although I do enjoy gardening (when I find the time), I don't, unfortunately, appear to have inherited my dad's green fingers!

What all gardeners understand, of course, is that it is one thing to tidy up a garden and quite another thing to keep it looking good!  Neglect a garden for a relatively short time and it can soon get out of control (have you ever wondered why weeds still keep growing even when they are not watered or cared for?)  To look their best, gardens have to be constantly attended to.

Jesus often used the world of nature in the stories which he told to help people understand the things of God.  I have sometimes thought that the nature of gardening can be likened to development in our Christian lives.  Coincidentally, my next sermon will use a passage from Paul's letter to the Ephesians (chapter 4 verses 17-32), which is headed "Instructions for Christian Living."  In the passage, Paul talks about living the new life in Christ, and reminds his readers to "put off the old self ... and put on the new self." 

The way of following Jesus is different in many ways from the way which society and our culture can often lead us.  Just as a gardener needs to continue to deal with weeds etc., so in our Christian lives we need to deal with things which detract from living the full life to which Christ has called us.

I'm certainly not the world's best gardener, but I intend to try and do my best to give regular attention to my new garden.  I also want to try and live a life which is honouring and pleasing to God.  I know that I haven't always done so, but thankfully God is a God of grace and forgiveness, and he gives us his Spirit to assist in the process.  Like my garden, I am a work in progress!