Green beans, potatoes, corn, cucumber, peas, pumpkins, and a workout bike. |
Baby bell peppers! |
Grapes! I'm most excited about these! |
Baby shower for Lola |
The very first home environment on earth- the first paradise- was the Garden of Eden. Throughout parables, He speaks of sowing and reaping, the seeds which fall on various soils, the plentiful harvest, the fruit of the Spirit, the vine and the branches. And then, in the last few hours of His life before death, Jesus chose to pray in a garden. And I wonder: who was the gardener at Gethsemane?
Before Jesus came to earth, He knew what He was coming to do. He was the only person in all of mankind to choose everything about His life! He had the opportunity to choose eye color, jawline, city of birth, time period in history. He knew from Heaven where He would spend time on earth. And He "often met there," in this particular garden, with His disciples. I wonder why?
I wish I had an interview with the gardener. I imagine him relentlessly perfecting every corner of the property, leveling the land and cultivating the soil. Maybe his family mocked his hard effort, wondering why he so intensely cared. Yet something inside him just said to make it perfect- to work hard, plant the finest seeds, prune and graft and water. All leading up to that day when Jesus, in whom all things exist and for whom all was created, walked through the gate.
The Creator! Taking active part in His creation! And a hard-working, normal guy who was faithful enough that the King spent His most precious time in that particular garden.
Oh Lord, whatever I do, let me do it as unto You. I never know whether or not it just might be.
Wow! Your backyard looks pretty cool! And you and Dan look good too! Hope you both are doing well.
ReplyDelete:) Miss you Rachel!
DeleteI've tried posting this twice already, so third times the charm, I hope!
ReplyDeleteFor all the hundreds of times I've heard about Jesus in the garden, I've never once thought about the gardener. It reminds me of a conversation we've had often - that the calling on our lives doesn't mean we have to be young or famous for that calling to be worthwhile, nor does living that calling mean that we will be those things. A gardener is a perfect example of faithfulness. Working the hard ground, tending the vulnerable shoots, pulling weeds and removing what is harmful. Not to mention the waiting, waiting, waiting...this gardener was "called" to be and do these things for the pleasure of Jesus, so that Jesus could find rest and quiet there. It challenges me to be faithful in the mundane of what I'm called to now, if for no other reason than that Jesus will find pleasure in this hard, tending work.
Thanks for opening a new aspect of those verses to me.
Kim
"this gardener was 'called' to be and do these things for the pleasure of Jesus."
DeleteEven though I've been thinking about this gardener for a few days, your response has opened up new emotion for me. Kim, how'd you get so smart? Now I need to go think about this some more.