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The Master Gardener

by Sarah Stirman

I have a very Darwinian view of yard work: it's survival of the fittest from the moment any plant makes its home on my property. I have learned that once plants take root in my yard, you can't kill them if you try. I have a geranium that has survived several snowstorms and is blooming to tell about it. The lantana in my front flowerbed should be featured in some horror movie about plants taking over a dwelling.

For a very few days -- or sometimes several weeks -- in the spring I get inspired to try to do something with the flower beds. Perhaps it's the nasty looks I keep getting from my next-door neighbor whose yard is professionally landscaped. Perhaps it's the fact that it's the very brief window of time between too cold and too hot. Perhaps it's year-long guilt over the neglect that has built up. At any rate, now is the time. I'm digging in to the front flower bed.

Last year, I did even less gardening than usual. Stressors continued to interrupt our spring and summer, so I could barely weed the mess out of my personal life, much less the weeds in my yard. I knew the plants and weeds would still be there when I was ready. Now that I'm finally ready, the weeds are definitely there. I have finally gotten enough weeds out to find the lantana. As I continued to weed and prune today, I muttered to myself, "What an unholy mess."

At first glance, it's hard to tell which is plant and which is weed. Then there is a thicket of dead shoots intermingled all through the live shoots. Unholy mess indeed! I would NEVER dream to compare my gardening skills to the work the Lord does in our lives, but I realized that without a gardener, we truly become an unholy mess. The difference in our lives and my poor lantana is that we can invite The Gardener into our lives and submit to the weeding and pruning that result in a healthy, thriving life. Or, we can be left to our own devices and end up a tangle of weeds, dead shoots, and anemic leaves.

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." (John 15:1-2)

Father, thank you for weeding out the mess. Thank you for loving us more than I love those poor plants in my front yard. Thank you for tending us, nurturing us, and seeing the beautiful flower we can become with your pruning, when we only see the dead shoots and weeds we have brought upon ourselves. Lead us to submit to the pruning with the knowledge that the gardener is loving and has beautiful things in mind for us.

Originally posted: 05/05/2005

URL: http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200505/
20050505_gardener.html

Does the Dog Need To Be Petted?

by Mike Barres

My wife is a dog lover. If I got hugged and kissed as much as her dog, I’d be a lot happier. Just kidding, but isn’t it interesting to see a dog looking up at you with those big eyes, just begging to be petted? When we pet the dog, which gets more out of it, us or the dog?

More and more nursing homes, treatment centers, hospitals, and therapy programs use dogs. They find that it helps the patient to pet the dog. They call it pet therapy. Folks appear to be happier, manage their illness better, and some even get well faster who are in these pet therapy programs.

Giving and receiving love is a basic need our Creator built into us. Some psychologists say that we need several hugs a day. They say it lowers our blood pressure. As Christians, we know that sharing love is not an option, but a response to how we’ve been loved. The apostle John reminded his flock:

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love (1 John 4:7-8 NKJV).

God loves us so much that he sent his Son to die on the cross for us. Remember one of the most famous statements in Scripture:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved (John 3:16-17).

In the Bible they gave blessings to those in their family or to those stepping into leadership. Part of that blessing involved laying hands on someone. Today, parents can bless their children by giving them hugs and pats on the back—lay their hands of blessing on them. How important is this? Jesus blessed children in this way!

Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them (Mark 10:13-16).

We all need love, and we must remember that we reap what we sow. If we give love, we’ll get love. If you think about it, if you know someone who is really loving and giving, they are also loved by a lot of other people. We all need hugs, hand shakes, and pats on the back; so let’s give these things, too. We will be blessed by sharing our blessing with others.

So, does the dog need to be petted or do we need to pet the dog?

I think the answer is, “Yes!”

Posted: 03/11/2008
URL: http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200803/20080311_petted.html

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