The kiss of sun for pardon,
The song of the birds for mirth,
One is nearer God’s heart in a garden
Than anywhere else on earth.
—Dorothy Frances Gurney
When we’re surrounded by living, growing things—when we walk or work amidst the beauty of creation—we somehow feel closer to the Creator Himself. A poet once observed that “only God can make a tree.” Yet when we plant a seed and watch it grow, we feel as though we are His partners—participating with Him in bringing forth new life, sharing in the excitement, the joy, the hope. We can’t help but be filled with a sense of awe and wonder.
But there’s something that can mar that precious beauty—something we must watch for and guard against:
“Weeds are the little vices that beset plant life, and are to be got rid of the best way we know how.”
The Farmer’s Almanac, 1881
You know, Jesus said our hearts are like gardens. When the Word of God takes root in us, and His Spirit dwells within us, our hearts can produce beautiful “fruit” (Matthew 13:3-23; John 15:1-8, 16). Fruit such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
But the Bible warns us to guard our hearts against the “thorns” or “weeds” (Proverbs 4:23; Mark 4:7). Seeds of selfishness, greed, and envy. Roots of resentment, bitterness, and unforgiveness. Even seemingly little sins can grow like, well, weeds! They choke the life out of us and destroy the fruit that the Master Gardener has labored to produce in us. Before we know it, our garden is overgrown—no longer a thing of beauty, a reflection of God’s glory, a place of refreshment to others.
That’s why it’s so important for us to tend the garden of our heart daily—watering it with the Word of God, nurturing it with prayer, and rooting out the weeds wherever we may find them. If you’ve been neglecting the garden of your heart lately, it may seem like an overwhelming task. But Jesus has promised to help us:
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
It’s for this very purpose He came to Earth in the first place.
The Bible tells us that the world began in a garden—the Garden of Eden. There God walked and talked with Man in the cool of the day. But Adam and Eve rebelled against God and rejected His commandments. Their disobedience broke their precious fellowship with God and brought a curse that has plagued mankind ever since.
No longer is the earth a garden paradise, effortlessly and abundantly bringing forth fruit. There are thorns and weeds to contend with now, and it takes back-breaking work to make things grow. Earth’s beauty has been marred by death, disease, and decay.
Our own hearts feel the effect in a spiritual sense, as the “weeds” of sin keep us from experiencing God’s presence. Ultimately, they lead us to death and hell—eternal separation from God. But God, in His mercy, made a way for us to be reconciled to Him.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
Jesus came to break the power of the curse and rescue us from death. He laid down His life for us and paid the penalty for our sin. We can be “born again”—with power from God to overcome the sinful nature we inherited from our first parents, Adam and Eve. “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Jesus rose from the dead and lives forever in Heaven, where He has promised to take us someday—a glorious paradise God has prepared for those who love Him. If you’d like to begin a personal relationship with the Master Gardener—to become a “new creature” in Christ, you might pray something like this:
Dear God, I realize that I am a sinner in need of a Savior. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sin. Please forgive me. Root out anything in my life that displeases You, and help me to produce the beautiful fruit of Your Spirit. Amen.