Miller on Monday

Garden of the Heart

J R Miller

A writer tells of an old woman who said:

“My heart is a little garden, and God is planting flowers there.”

Every heart should be a little garden.

We should keep it always clear of weeds and full of sweet and beautiful plants and flowers.

A garden spot anywhere is not only a thing of beauty but is also a blessing to all who see it.

Even a window box filled with its bright colour is a benediction.

God means that we shall make our lives so beautiful that they will redeem one spot of the world from dreariness and transform it into loveliness.

The picture of a garden runs through all the Bible.
The first home of the human race was a garden. Jesus was buried in a garden.
When He arose the first Easter morning spring flowers were blooming all about His grave, filling the air with fragrance.
There is a legend, too, that as He walked away from the open tomb lilies sprang up in the path on which His feet walked.
It is true; at least, that wherever His feet have walked all these centuries, flowers of joy, of hope, of peace, of life, of love have grown.

He is changing the wilderness into a garden of roses.

The life of each one is a little garden which he is to dress and keep.
In an ancient Bible song the story of such a garden is told.
It is not some other one’s garden we are to keep, but our own.
Some of us find it easier to look after the gardens of our neighbours than our own little patch.
But that is not our duty.

“How fared thy garden plot, dear heart,

While thou sat’st on the judgment seat?

Who watered thy roses and trained thy vines,

And kept them from careless feet?”

“Nay, that is saddest of all to me, –

That is saddest of all.

My vines are trailing, my roses are parched

My lilies droop and fall.”

“Go back to thy garden plot, dear heart;

Go back till the evening falls,

And bind thy lilies and train thy vines,

Till for thee the Master calls.

“Go make thy garden fair as thou canst;

Thou workest never alone;

Perchance he whose plot is next to thine

Will see it, and mend his own.”

*

Such a timely reminder for me, as I've been outdoors pulling the weeds from my garden today.

A chore that needs to be done if I want to see bright Spring flowers blooming after the dull days of Winter.

I must put real effort into my task and keep at it until my flower beds and vegie patch are weed-free, and the soil made ready to grow those lovely things I've been dreaming of the past few months. 

My muscles are sore today from all the pulling, raking, hauling and re-planting,

but it's a 'good' sort of soreness because it will produce beauty and provisions for our home!

Now, if I want to see better results in that other garden Dr Miller mentioned...
I need to spend more time in this position!