Top 5 Things that affect a garden (literally or figruatively)

If you read my blog (I hope you do!) then you know that I like to be concise and sometimes keep things to a "Top 10" or a list. Well, tonight at around 8:30 I decided to go outside and pull some weeds. Everyone was in bed (including my sick hubby) and it was cool, quiet and light out. Perfect. But while I was working, I had such a clear vision of my beautiful garden and what keeps it growing - as a metaphor for my heart as well.

I have been learning so much these past few months about gardening, but it's been inspiring me spiritually as well. In John 15 Jesus tells us that God himself is a gardener and that we are his garden. So, it's very logical that the literal things that affect the health of an actual garden match up with the figurative things that affect my heart, God's garden. As I was pulling weeds I came up with the "Top 5" things that affect my garden:

1. Literal - MOISTURE As much as my garden and flowers love the direct sunlight, they will quickly wither and die in a few days without daily moisture.
Figurative - GOD'S WORD As much as I love God, I cannot follow him without his word in my daily life.

Isaiah 55 says:
¹⁰ As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
¹¹ so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

The MOISTURE of water make my plants bud and flourish just as GOD'S WORD makes my heart bud and flourish.

2. Literal - WEEDS They grow quickly and will take over within weeks. They must be consistently pulled from the root so they won't choke the other plants and steal their resources.
Figurative - SIN I can't underestimate the power of my sinful nature. I must live a life of openness and take my sin seriously, removing from my heart at it's root. It's a daily battle.

Genesis 4 says: ⁷ If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.
James 5 says: ¹⁶ Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. I could also mention 1 John 1 and 2. These encourage me to "weed" my heart so that my sin never takes over.

3. Literal - SUNLIGHT In varying degrees plants need it to survive, especially the ones that bear fruit.
Figurative - PRAYER/INTIMACY WITH GOD We are all spiritual beings, created with a need to worship in order to survive.

John 15 says: ⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. ⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

We literally WITHER without intimacy with Jesus. We BEAR MUCH FRUIT when we are near to him.

4. Literal - SOIL Rocks, nutrients, clay, sand, slope, fertilizer and drainage all affect how well a plant will do.
Figurative - FAITH Just like a plant cannot grow without soil, spirituality cannot grow without faith.

2 Peter 1 says: ⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ⁶ and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; ⁷ and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. ⁸ For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

A nourished and fertilized faith is a productive one.

5. Literal - SENSITIVITY A good gardener knows the needs of his plants. I had a rose bush that was dying in my front yard. I moved it to another area and it thrived.
Figurative - SENSITIVITY The Spirit is always at work on God's behalf. It requires a connection to the Spirit to discern the will of God in our lives. Sensitivity also protects us from becoming religious and worshiping God out of habit or for men.

Jeremiah 29 says: ¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹² Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Just like I had better plans for the rosebush, God has the perfect plan for us if we seek him wholeheartedly.

As a side note, it's interesting that gardens are usually formed out of a beautiful variety of plants existing together and enhancing the qualities of each other. I believe God's plan is for a variety of people to exist together and worship him as one, helping one another here on earth until we all stand before God one day. Personally, my heart's survival depends on it.

Take care and may your garden grow beautiful things!