Sunday, June 5, 2011

In the Garden

In the Garden
I come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses; and the voice I hear, falling on my ear, the Son of God discloses.  And he walks with me and He talks with me, and He tells me I am his own; and the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known.  He speaks and the sound of His voice is so sweet the birds hush their singing; And the melody that He gave to me within my heart is ringing.  I'd stay in the garden with Him, tho' the night around me be falling, but He bids me go; thro' the voice of woe His voice to me is calling.

Growing up I didn't much like yard work.  My daddy made us pull weeds every weekend.  I remember thinking that when I got older, I would never do yard work again!  Did I think somebody was going to do the yard work for me, or that I would just live in a house surrounded by weeds!? 
When we grow up, often we find that we actually appreciate some of the endless chores that our parents made us do.  A 'dirty manicure' may not be your favorite, but working God's earth and planting a garden is so rewarding!
I was reading an article the other day and it struck me that the Lord was the first Gardener. It should be no surprise that we enjoy nature and tending to a bed of flowers or vegetables.  God made man and woman to live in the garden!  My favorite image is picturing our LORD walking amongst the tomatoes, squash, carrots and fruit trees of His garden!  "Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day..." (Genesis 3:8)
This is the third year that we have planted a small bed of fruits and vegetables.  The hard work, the fruit of the labor and the lessons are so rewarding.  Sometimes, I will just sit in that little chair and stare at the garden.  I think about how it was supposed to be...how we were supposed to walk in the garden with Him!

Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed.  The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. ~Genesis 2:8-9

Jesus went to the garden of Gethsemane to pray before he was crucified.  "Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray. ~Matthew 26:36

The 'garden' has a big role in the Bible.  Do you have a vegetable garden, a flower garden, or place where you create that allows you to spend time in reflection?

Blessings to you on this Sunday!

12 comments:

  1. I love love love to spend time in my garden. It's a tiny one, I don't have a very green thumb and I'm still trying to learn how to make it look pretty, but I love to spend time there. It refreshes my spirit like nothing else does§ I go there alone. I think, I breathe in the fresh air, I revel in God's creations, I marvel at the colors and the perfumes and the variety and beauty and it makes me feel at one with my maker. So peaceful. Thanks Christie!

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  2. Hi Christie,
    I just love that old hymn. I can remember singing it with my Dad on Sunday mornings.

    Your garden is pretty and peaceful. Thanks for the words of inspiration.

    hugs
    Sissie

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  3. What a beautiful post! Thanks for sharing.

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  4. I love that image you painted for us.. of God walking through the vegetable patch. I will never look at my tomatoes quite the same. Thanks for the blessing.

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  5. Gardening brings me a lot of joy! I find it to be a place of worship.
    I love this post and your point that God was the first gardener.
    I posted on this very hymn, once. It's a wonderful one.

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  6. Great blog, I love your pictures of our Lord in his garden. I can imagine walking with him. I bet my Dad is mowing heaven's yard and building birdhouses.

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  7. Thanks for this post!! It's priceless!!

    I just found your blog the other day and I LOVE it!! What a talented and inspirational lady you are!! Thanks for sharing your gifts! :-)

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  8. My dear grandmother used to play a stack of Gospel records faithfully every Sunday morning, and I almost always slept over there on Saturday nights. My favorite was probably "In the Garden" and just reading those words again makes me feel close to her. Thank you. I think I will try to find that song on line and listen to it. I'm already humming it to myself as I type!!
    Julie

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  9. The words you have written speak to my soul. Have a blessed day.

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  10. Hey friend! We do have a garden and every year when we plant we take the opportunity to talk to our kiddos about the seed and what it represents and how it gets it's nourishment and the role of the root and all of the different analogies between gardens and our relationship with Christ. One of my best friends just did a lesson with her kids where they scattered seeds on some rocks next to the garden and are watering them to see if they grow just like the ones in the good soil. I'm thinking about doing that next year...or maybe still this year!
    Thanks for this lovely post,
    Vanessa
    P.S. My dad made us move rocks around so many times we lost count...now I'm wondering if he was just trying to keep us occupied! LOL!

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  11. beautiful place. I think this will great for outdoor parties.

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