Articles
The Garden Of Our Heart
“We moved into our current home about two years ago, and as with any previously owned home there were a few not so welcome surprises. These unwelcomed surprises were easily overcome, however, by the beautiful landscaping, in particular the well-planned and maintained backyard garden, that we inherited with our new home.
“Surrounding our stone pool deck is a lovely haven of green boasting an array of interesting flowers and trees. From the four varieties of roses to the multitude of crape myrtles, lilies and blooming hedges, color graces our little backyard retreat virtually year round. While maintaining our back yard garden requires some effort, we humbly admit that most of it existed long before we claimed it as ‘ours.’
“As the seasons change we love the new surprises that seemingly bloom to greet us – lovely things we did not plant and therefore are delighted to discover
“There are, however, other things in our garden we most certainly did not plant. Take for instance the parasitic vine that continually fights for a corner with my Indian Hawthorne or the patch of dandelions in the yard that seem to be resistant to any effort to eradicate them. For a while I was convinced they actually multiplied when weed killer was applied. In order to preserve and protect the intended beauty of the garden we’ve had to call the ‘weed man’ for professional advice about the right intervention.” – Cherryl Macdonald
This neat little story is a great illustration on how to understand people. Think, for instance, about a new convert. Their heart is much like the backyard garden, full of many surprises. They come to the Lord and start their work with the church and can have many wonderful talents we never knew! Maybe they’re a great teacher, or singer, or really good with tools or technology, and they are able to use their talents to help this congregation in the work of the Lord. It could be that we see the wonderful attitudes of love, compassion, concern, and humility blooming in their life. There can be so many beautiful things in the garden of their hearts and life. What a wonderful surprise that is!
There can also be negative surprises in a new converts heart; things we didn’t see before. Perhaps they struggle with anger, or addiction. Maybe their language is filthy. Maybe they have different beliefs that are contrary to the Bible. These may not be things we planted, but they also cannot be things we ignore. Weeds can be stubborn, deep rooted, and choke out any kind of good work or attitude the Lord finds pleasing (Matt. 13:22)
As with all people, buried deep in our hearts are the possibilities for beauty and for unpleasantness. There must be an ongoing effort to help bring forth one another’s beauty, and keep the “weeds” in their life at bay. (Romans 12:10; Galatians 6:1-2; Hebrews 3:13; 12:12-13)
As the seasons of life change, there may be more “surprises” that will bloom from one another’s hearts. Our role is not to ignore the weeds, but to help them uproot the weeds, and bloom in the beauty of loving service to God and others.
