Gardening

I love the garden.
I love the planning, the expectation of the harvest,
I love the excitement and patience involved in watching those seeds sprout and begin to grow.
I love the nurture, the watering, the weeding, the fertilizing, and trimming...
I love seeing the fruit develop, watching it grow, protecting it from the weather and animals.

I love the harvest...
    the feeling of eating fresh grown produce from the backyard,
    the security of mind that this produce is pesticide free,
    the convenience of stepping outside the back door and gathering the herbs needed for a recipe.

But most of all I love the sharing!
A garden is about sharing...sharing the gifts, the bounty, the provision, the ideas, the recipes,
And learning to receive the bounty from another...

My Heavenly Father loves to garden.
He is the supreme Gardener.

Lovingly, He plants us into His garden with so much excitement.
He has great plans and purposes for our life because He know what He put within us.

Patiently, He watches us grow.. teaching us, encouraging us, cheering us on.

Tenderly, He nourishes us as we grow...
    revealing His love and truth to us,
    refreshing our spirit,
    removing the chaff,
   cultivating the ground,
   fertilizing us with the circumstances in our life that deepen our walk with Him.

He loves the process of us becoming.
He is always willing to wait.
How faithfully He protects our fruit in the seasons of drought and barrenness.
How He rejoices when the harvest begins, the fragrance is sweet, the taste delicious.
And Yes, He is ecstatic when we share the fruit, the harvest, our gifts, our talents.
Creation dances when these plants of His declare that, "God is good! God is great! God is love!"
Declaring, sharing and blessing their world, as they display a beautiful showcase of their Gardener!