The Master Gardener

Thursday, July 13

The Master Gardener
By: Lori Ennis

Gardening is therapy to me.

And as a gardener, I’ve learned a lot about life. Lately, as I was weeding one particularly overgrown bed,  I've realized something about change. Though it can be uncomfortable, it is often a necessary part of growth. This came to me as I kept tugging, pulling at, and tilling the most persistent weeds that were choking out the beautiful flowers.

These weeds had found a haven and had attached to the weed barrier and mulch designed to protect the garden. Despite all preventive measures, they clung tenaciously, sapping the life out of the surrounding plants, obstructing the growth of what was intended to flourish. 

As someone who naturally resists change, I found a striking parallel between those stubborn weeds and my own life. There are habits, attitudes, and relationships that I hold onto for dear life. Even if I should let them go. Even if I KNOW God is asking me to let them go. 

I cling like those weeds, preventing myself from growing into the person God intended.

In Isaiah, God says, "See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." (Isaiah 43:19)

God is in the business of doing new things, initiating change, and making ways where there seem to be none–and we sure aren’t always privy to knowing what He’s doing. But for Him to create this "new thing" within us, we need to allow Him to till the soil of our hearts and to expose and uproot the weeds that keep us from growing and His best.

We’re just too comfortable with what we know, and what we have, even when it's less than what God wants for us. Like the weeds clinging to the barrier, we hold onto what is familiar and comfortable, ignoring the potential beauty waiting to burst forth. But clinging to our comfort zone, to what we think we need, we may unknowingly prevent ourselves from receiving the fullness of what God has for us.

Change is hard. Letting go is hard. I type those words, imprinting them on my own heart.

But we must trust in God’s infinite wisdom and love for us. Just as a gardener knows when to prune, weed, and plant, God knows when to remove and when to add elements in our lives for our ultimate good and His glory. We must trust the Gardener of our hearts, for He plans not to harm us, but to give us hope and a future.

So I’m letting go of my grip, my preconceived notions, my comfort, and my control. Will you join me and allow God to dig deep, to remove the weeds, and to plant new seeds in our hearts? Then we can let go of our comfort zones and truly embrace the beautiful, flourishing life God has planned for us.