Today the kid’s and I finished turning over the soil for our garden space. Pulling clumps of soil, knocking the soil from it and adding it to our compost pile. Cutting out roots, pulling dandelions with roots a mile long and getting the rest of the hastas out of the garden for my mom to transplant at her house. During this process God and I had so much to talk about. He had so much to teach me about the gardening process happening in my life! I am so thankful for a heavenly Father who through a great friend has taught me to watch life for parables and teachable moments.
While I was digging the earth and turning it the Lord said, “Robin this is what I want you to do in other peoples lives. I want you to have relationships with them, I want you to challenge their thinking and their lives not because you demand it or shout it from mountain tops, but, because they see me in you. They see me digging in your life. As they see you willing to let me dig in your life, they begin to see you let me fill in your ‘garden’ with my nutrients of love, faithfulness, joy, and peace. When you allow me to live inside of you I am able to work through you and what that is doing, precious Robin (he called me precious, my Abba Daddy calls me precious, and I love it) is preparing a way for me, preparing a way for the risen King to come love on them. It’s not your job sweet Robin to make the seeds grow, you can’t force them, you can’t talk to them enough, but I can show them through you how to change their soil and their nutrients. Robin, you are preparing soil, with each encouraging word you are adding water, sunlight, shade for the tired, and fruit and food for the hungry.”
He reminded me that sometimes, often times gardening is so very painful. We don’t want to look at what others have done to us and what we have done to ourselves. It’s too painful and if I look at it and the tears start to flow it feels as if they will never stop. He reminded me to be gentle, to love often, to be kind and compassionate because the wounds we all walk around with need a tender gardener, a loving gardener. He reminded me that He is the master gardener, that He knows which people need shade from the harsh world, which ones are ready to shine in his sunlight, which ones need parcel shade and parcel sunlight. Plant, he said to me, but let me do the growing. He reminded me to love, because I can’t see what he is doing under the soil in their lives, I don’t know the timing he has for them. He reminded me to take care of my garden, to let him pull the weeds, to let him remind me I am his beloved, to let him tell me I am perfect and complete, holy and blameless. Let me tend your garden sweet Robin and I will teach others through gardening you how to garden themselves. I will call them through you and I will continue to feed my starving people. They have only to come ask and I will change their garden as I have changed yours. Your ready sweet Robin, your name means shining with fame, it is my fame you shine. It is my love for you that radiates from your sparkling eyes and your joyful smile, you shine sweet Robin, your light shines towards me. When your light begins to fade from tiredness and weariness slow down princess and rest, come to me, let me hold you, tending gardens is tiring, often messy business.
Trust me, sweet Robin, I know how to tend gardens, let me do the tending, let me do the planting, the turning, the work, but let me do it through you, but remember to let me do the work. Well done my faithful daughter, well done, I am proud of you. I have been since I created you and I am joyful sweet Robin that you have let me uncover who you really are. I am joyful at how you love the woman you are. Your garden is beautiful, you are ready to show the world how much I love them, too. Through you I am ready to do a most amazing work. I through you will plant, water, and nurture those around you. Robin I am your vine, you are the branch, you abide in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit. I know you know apart from me you can do nothing. Because you have learned this well you are ready to be a worker in the Master gardener’s garden! Welcome, I’ve been waiting for you!