Garden Pace
Promise:
The Spirit bears fruit through us in the pace of a garden.
Passage:
In his book, Cultivate, Richard Kannwischer makes the observation that change happens at the pace and process of a garden. Although there are examples of miracles in our lives and in the Bible, most change we observe is slow and steady. Living a life without fear, being content, restoring relationships with others, and even cultivating deep trust with God doesn’t happen overnight.
Good things come to those to wait, the saying goes. More accurately might be that good things come to those who patiently and expectantly plant, water, fertilize, feed, prune, and harvest. The rest is up to God. This theme shows up in the parables and teachings of Jesus as he taught his disciplines to abide in the vine (John 15:4-11) or how the Spirit bears fruit (Galatians 5:22-23).
You may be in a season where you feel unrooted. You might feel over-pruned. You might feel bare and exposed in the harsh weather of circumstances. You might feel overgrown and out of control in other areas of your life. But know that you can trust that God is a good gardener. He is always patient with us. Firm when we ask. Wishing for us the best of what He created us to be.
Any gardener knows that the same activity can lead to different results each year because some factors are outside of the gardeners control. They begin with the condition of the soil and the season, but add to it the temperature, the amount of rainfall, pests or diseases that might infest, and a host of other external factors. You, too, have external factors affecting your growth. If we are focus on what God is asking us to do, I think we will find he doesn’t ask us to change the weather. He asks us to be open to changing ourselves. And sticking with it even if it grows at the pace of a garden.
Practice:
Find a plant in your home or yard and spend time in deep observation. Pray that God use this exercise to reveal something about His nature (after all, he created the plant) and His will for you.
On what does the plant rely for its growth? It is in its nature to grow, but how is it cultivated. What do you observe about the plant that is healthy? What do you observe about the plant that needs the care of a gardener? What seems rushed or hurried? What seems “slow”?
Pause:
What did this observation and meditation on God as the gardener teach you? Write your reflections below.
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