Every time I go outside to attend to my flowers, I feel a spiritual presence. I cannot help but think that God, once again, is in my garden! First of all, it slows me down and changes my pace to something more peaceful and relaxing. Any spiritual director will tell you that in order to pray and reflect well, that you must slow down, find a sanctuary and rest a while. For me, this is my garden. The simple acts of trimming or pinching off dead flowers or watering are moments that really demand no great thought. They are just times TO BE. They becomes times of prayer. It is during those opportunities that my mind begins to think of the scriptures and Jesus’ many times spent in gardens and places of quiet.
What did he think about? Did he plan his day? Did he wonder how is mother was doing? Did he think about others who were unhappy, confused or hurt? Did he ask for guidance about how to bring people closer to God? Did he just sit and enjoy the nature around him witnessing that the earth yields many fruits and blessings that people should not take for granted?
What do I think about? I think about my wife. I think about my children and their happiness. I think about people that I have loved and lost and the lessons that they gave me. I think about friends and relatives struggling with illness. I think about my imperfections and wonder if I’ll ever get things right. I think about ways to change for the better and grow purposefully in my professional and spiritual life. I think about God. What is God calling me to be even at this later stage in life?
I look at the flowers I have planted, the perennials and the annuals. The perennials always seem to come back year after year, faithfully and without fuss, to display their beauty and majesty. Sometimes they don’t make it and I imagine that they were just tired and could not go on one more year. Their time was great and they gave so much to passers-by and the landscape. They will be remembered. New shoots always seem to replace them and gloriously take their place with pride.
The annuals are somewhat different. They take work. They have needs which require attention. They are frail and sometimes it is doubtful if they will survive. Is the soil right? Do they need support to stand tall? Are they being attacked by silent and seemingly invisible insects? How much water do they need? What is too little? What is too much? Annuals are needy in the world of flowers. Jesus said that he did not come for the healthy but for the weak and the fragile. I guess I feel that way about my flowers. I give more attention to some than others because I want them all to have a chance.
Am I that fragile annual flower that God has to prop up, water and continually fertilize in order for it to grow? I certainly am. Oh, I suppose that I would rather be a perennial that never waivers and can be counted on time after time, but I don’t always feel that way. It is in my frailty that I find God, need God, want God in my life.
When the flowers I plant bloom with amazing colour and strength, I know that I have helped be part of that. Jesus, the ever present gardener in my life, patiently cares for me too. Do I bloom as well as I should? Some days I think so, others, not much. The thorns, weeds, pesticides and loose soil of life are always around me, and like my flowers, I try to respond in the best possible way to the gentle and caring touch of the Master Caretaker.
James (Jim) Dunn
Blessėd Blending
June 14th, 2016