Finding God in the Garden - Weeds & Sin

Gardens are a blessing from the Lord.  They provide good work for us to do.  Working in the garden allows us to soak up Vitamin D from the sun.  Working in the garden gets us active.  We grow wonderful, delicious food, that nourishes our bodies from the garden.  Getting our hands in the soil has been clinically proven to increase serotonin levels, a “happy” chemical and natural anti-depressant.  It also strengthens the immune system. 

But in addition to the many physical attributes, the garden is also where I always find God.  It’s where I hear His voice and see so many life lessons and parables. 

I was weeding the garden with my children the other day, and teaching them that to really be affective with the removal of weeds one must get down into the ground and remove the entire root.  Because if we don’t, the weed will simply spring up again.

Some roots come right out, while other roots  take quite a bit of effort to remove. Sometimes we have to dig down deep into the earth to really get a hold of the root.

Working on weeds is a constant.  Affectively removing weeds also means to stay on top of the task on a regular basis, searching for any new weeds coming up and getting to them before they get too deep and too hard to remove. 

If not addressed, weeds can take over our garden.  They can steel the good nutrients that our crops need to grow. 

Weeds will always be in the garden.  But as we nurture our crops, and remove the weeds continually, eventually the crops will overcome the weeds and take off with life. 

JUST LIKE SIN…

To affectively remove sin out of our lives, we must get to the root of the problem.  If we don’t get to the root of the problem, it will continue to spring up over and over again.  Sometimes it’s easy to spot sin in our life.  Other times, it takes a lot of work to really search it out. 

Some sins are easy for us to walk away from, while other sin takes quite a bit of effort to remove from our life. 

And just like weeding the garden, working on sin in our life is a constant.  It’s important for us to search our hearts on a regular basis and remove any new sin creeping into our lives before it takes a hold of our heart. 

                “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.” Psalm 139:23-24
If not addressed, sin can take over our hearts.  Sin steals the good from our life and overcomes it with the bad. 

                “Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.” Proverbs 4:23

 

As we remove the sin from our lives, and nurture Christ in our lives, eventually the light takes over the darkness. 

                “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Romans 12:21

So as we weed the garden together, my children and I, we discuss these things.  We talk about the Lord, and sin and how to address our own sinfulness.  As the children learn a valuable skill in tending to a garden, more importantly, they have a visual for how to address sin in our own lives. 

The garden provides a sanctuary for us and our children, an opportunity to work together, and to share these parables and discuss how God works in our lives. 

The garden is physically, emotionally, and spiritually beneficial. 

And all I can say is, GOD IS GOOD.