Lessons From the Master Gardener

I enjoy gardening. On many summer mornings, I sneak out of the house before anyone else is up to see what new and exciting thing is happening in my backyard garden. Are the tomato plants standing a bit taller today? Are the zucchini blossoms adding a pop of sunshiny yellow to the beds? What pesky critters are trying to chomp on my young seedlings? What about the pole beans? Are they finally climbing the poles, or are the rebellious little rascals trying to grow along the ground? Gardening teaches so many lessons about a loving Savior and our relationship with Him. In the garden, we are confronted with life “at the bone.” Here we see that seeds shallowly planted can be eaten by birds, and a heavy downpour can wash away the potential for life. Young plants must battle bugs and the elements in order to survive, and wayward young plants often require a gentle nudge to lay hold of the support stakes necessary for their growth. In the garden, I have grieved the loss of plants eaten by critters that did not tend to them. And I have chosen to replant, to start all over again, recognizing that my part in the process is to sow, water, and cultivate. God is the One who does what I cannot—He alone can breathe life into dead places. Is it any wonder that the first work God gave Adam was to tend the beautiful Garden of Eden? An all-powerful God who does not need any help from us at all invited Adam to be a gardener. Fascinating, isn’t it? I like to think that in giving Adam this work, God was handing him the gift of a curriculum for life. In gardening, Adam would learn the value of working with his hands. As he diligently cared for young plants, he would learn to fulfill his role as a parent and guardian. In tending the Garden, he would develop a greater appreciation for food, for life, and for the earth; consequently, he would become a more diligent steward of it all. But more than any of these lessons, God gave Adam, and us, a treasure that nurtures our spirits.

Gardening reminds us that, like the plants we care for, we ourselves are under the care of the Master Gardener—God Himself.

Kathy-Ann C. Hernandez