GARDENS

“No man may be miserable that is master of a garden” John Evelyn (1620-1706).
 What do you think of when you hear the word garden? For the Persians a garden area was like Paradise (Garden of Eden). The Moors, an enclosed courtyard with pools of water. In Britain there are arched hedges framing large squared beautified lawns. No matter where you are from, a garden is an area to relax.
A Place to Discover Inner Peace
What is peace? Peace is freedom from disturbance that brings a sense of tranquility. It is a state of well-being, prosperity, and security. It denotes the overcoming of strife, quarrel, and social tension, the prevention of enmity and war. The pursuit of peace is the obligation of the individual and the goal of various social regulations and structures.
A garden is a place where peace can prevail. This peace does not come easy and it is somewhat challenging for the builder. Gardens are a way for people to find that inner peace to help bring them closer to the creator. With that, the different types of gardens grant those who visit them a look into the builder’s soul. 
Peace in gardening allows for personal reflection. When entering a garden, go in with an open heart and mind leaving thoughts of the daily world behind. This is the only way to hear God’s creation. Doing this allows for God to speak clearly and true repentance can lead to a desire for a peaceful interaction with others.   
A Place for Creation to Thrive in Harmony With One Another 

There are many ways to think of harmony. Basically it means to be in agreement; accord; a consistent, orderly, or pleasing arrangement of parts; congruity. For a musician harmony is any simultaneous combination of tones especially when blended into chords pleasing to the ear wholly distinguishable from melody and rhythm. Living together to create a bond that brings all things together as one. 

Gardens create a beautiful chance for creation to combine each individual thing we are designed to do and develop a community which grows in social and economic matters. What I mean is that each participant in a garden setting has a task. Everything is done for the eventual good of the ecosystem even the things that seem bad eventually have a good quality. When the garden grows, that means creation is in harmony. Plants grow flowers and vegetables, water flows, the system works.

We Are All Caretakers 

Our divine mission is to watch over the earth, cultivate it, subdue it, live in it. There are many ways we can accomplish this yet some seek to destroy rather than develop and design useful items that help our fellow man without the destruction of the earth. We can use the natural resources without abusing them and creating things that have destructive qualities. In fact, we ourselves are resources. Our part is labor intensive but when working in harmony with nature we can make this world a better place. 

God created. When He created, all things were at peace. He created us. We destroyed His Garden Paradise. All God asked of Adam and Eve was to not do one simple thing and they broke the boundary that was set by Him. When they crossed that line, sin entered and the land was wrought with hardship. Because of man, the world suffers. Because of God’s sacrifice of His Son, man was forgiven but it is up to us to restore the land. Our Souls are saved but we still must toil and suffer the physical. It is up to us to make right what has been wronged.

The other part is getting along with each other which is the hardest thing to do. Because of behaviors, values, and characteristics deemed as against God’s image we are always going to have issues with our fellow man. Too many want some kind of power over others and lead them astray. We cannot live in a world where human-kind competes against human-kind in a struggle for dominance. This is not a war we should be fighting. The true war is of the Spirit and it is a war only God can win. Our infighting with our brothers and sisters does not help. 

What Can We Do (whether we are willing or not)

Maybe if we tear down walls that separate us brick by brick and behold the beauty which is creation, we can see the Garden of Eden once again. To have God’s Kingdom on earth we need to follow God’s Word, repent and stay away from the things that keep us away from God. It will take a lot of sacrifice and we may suffer for a little while but when we no longer miss the things we gave up, we will feel His presence. For many it will be a most difficult undertaking but the rewards are greater. Is it worth it? Yes.

Brothers and Sisters, all things are possible with God. Without Him we cannot do even the simplest hardest task. What we put up can be taken down but what is built with God in our hearts will not fall. We need to stop building walls and begin to open hearts even more today than yesterday. 

What good does it do to harbor anger towards someone? Gardens cannot grow if the temperature is too extreme and there is no water or proper nutrients. Our emotions are like nutrients for our souls. If we continue in negatives, the heart, soul, and mind become corrupt and can wither and die. If we stay in the positives, our bodies and souls flourish and grow.    

Say goodbye to bitterness, greed, and hatred, all those things lead to death. Say hello to forgiveness, love, kindness, and compassion, all those lead to life. Sadness is a temporary state that we can escape from when we have the Holy Spirit. If you see a fellow brother or sister down, shine your light upon them and lift them up. Love one another with God’s Love, not man’s ideals. Keep your heart and mind filled with His Word and from that we will be strong and successful. Be the light of the world standing on mountains not hiding in the hills. Praise and Worship God daily in everything you do. 

With Hope for a bright future.
In God’s Embrace,
Rob, Servant of God