Being God’s Gardeners

By Pam Rosales

Hanging flower pots burst with bright pink verbena and maroon petunias. Their sweet scents drift on the breeze and tickle my nose. I draw in a deep breath to savor the summery perfume.

Those flowers began as tiny seeds planted in healthy soil. Each was watered and fed to bring about their utmost color and fragrance.

God planted a seed of faith in my heart’s fertile soil, and I became a new Christian as believers around me watered my thirsty soul. The seed sprouted as I soaked up nourishment from the Bible. I accepted invitations to church and Bible study groups that provided further opportunities for growth as I listened and learned.

The Lord put those gardeners in my life to nourish the precious seed in my heart. They committed their time and patiently answered my many questions. They helped me weed out worldly thinking and clear the field for a God-centered perspective.

All of us who have grown in our Christian walk due to loving attention from more mature believers are in a position to also be God’s gardeners.

Do we know someone who is new in his or her faith? Do we have a relationship with a non-Christian friend, neighbor or family member? If so, let’s take the food and water that nurtured our growth and invest it in the sown seeds around us.

Some seeds may not have popped their little green heads yet, but look at each person as a seed carrier. Let’s view everyone we meet as if their heart is fertile soil, waiting to be tended.        

To be a good gardener we must:

• Be sensitive to God’s leading so His grace balances truth in a healthy mixture
• Use the Son’s Light just as sunlight draws seeds out from under the ground
• Be careful not to drown the seed with too much water or burn it with too much fertilizer
• Not judge the seed’s growth—instead, encourage by setting a good example

God’s word says to live wisely among those who are not Christians, and make the most of every opportunity (See Colossians 4:5)
It is imperative to understand that God is the only judge. If my gardeners had criticized the foolish worldly ideas I expressed, I would have run the other way because of all the criticism I experienced in my youth. Judgmental, critical and self-righteous attitudes will crush tender shoots.

We can be honest about our own shortcomings, however, and point God’s seedlings to the Master Gardner, Jesus, who is our perfect example and the One who forgives our failures.

As seeds are exposed to the fruits of the Spirit, many will respond and bloom to add more beautiful flowers to God’s garden.

Pamela Rosales writes from Aloha, Oregon. rosales.writes@gmail.com