INSPIRASUNS

We have a small area on the west side of our parish hall. It’s located in the children’s wing of our campus, and we call it the Children’s Garden. Within this garden are plants that were purposefully planted there. Plants and trees that have wonderful smells, feel soft to the touch, or, better yet, bear fruit. They provide an opportunity for not only learning, but enjoyment.

Over the past months, one of our parishioners has taken on the project of thinning out some of the plants and making way for a little garden this fall. He’s carved out a section where, for now, he has planted sunflowers, and I can’t wait for those to grow 🙂 . When the coolness of fall returns, we’ll plant tomatoes, beans, and radishes. Funny right…We have to wait until fall here in SW Florida to plant our gardens.

Yesterday, Chuck was in that little garden, in the morning before the heat rolled in. He was tending to that little area, trimming bushes and vines, pruning flowers, and checking on those sunflowers. It warms my heart to see him put in the hours to make this a beautiful space where children want to be. I look forward to this fall when they will be digging in dirt and watching plants grow and turn into food.

As I thought about Chuck and that little garden this morning, I’m reminded of our need to tend our own “gardens”, lives, I should say. We all need to take time to prune, water, and fertilize the relationships we have. We need to nurture and care for those things most precious to us. And…most importantly, we need to tend to our relationship with our Lord. We need to dig in the dirt sometimes and get rid of the weeds as we grow in that relationship with Him. What I mean by that is it’s ok to share with Father the ugliness, the anger, or fear that we may feel. He knows our hearts, and He is always there to accept us if we come to him in repentance and ask for forgiveness. He is there to help us grow, just like those sunflowers in the Children’s Garden.

So friends, take a little time today tending to your garden. Prune back those things that are keeping the growth from occurring. Step in fully to your relationship with Father and let him help you grow into that relationship 🙂 .

Have a good day, friends, and thank you as always for being here to read my ramblings 🙂 .

p.s. Thanks to my friend Liz Brunson for the beautiful sunset picture from the Heartland a few nights ago, the cover of today’s little blog.

1 Peter 5:6
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you.