You Need a Gardener!

In 4 hours, I will be waking up. I hope to go to sleep within the next hour or so-- the lack of sleep will be compensated for when I arrive in Arizona tomorrow morning around 10:30 am.

I am heading out with 4 of my awesome friends, and we will be staying with my aunt and uncle for a week. Hooray! Arizona is beautiful this time of year... nice weather, and blooming splashes of color.

Last night, Kristi and I worked in our little garden at the back of our office. Up until then, it was full of dead rubbish and garbage. We cleared away sackfuls of leaves and sticks, and dug up weeds. Underneath all of the lifeless filth, we uncovered dark, rich dirt and vibrant greenery. There were also little bricks that formed what I thought was a little pathway in and out of the garden, but was more of a pattern. It was a hidden treasure.

We only finished one side of the garden. Each side is separated by our long side walk that leads up to our back door. As you look from side to side, it's clear which area has been worked upon. One side is still full of garbage, and dead, useless items. If left alone, over time, it would only collect more trash and pile up, looking even worse. Every once in awhile, perhaps a green bush or little tree would poke it's way out of the litter, but the general idea in looking at that patch is to conclude it needs "a lot of work and tender, loving care."

Then, you look over to the other side. The dirt has been freshly ground; the green life that is there is easy to see and evident in its display, and there is no doubt that some work has been done to shape it up. There may be a few random weeds that were missed or may need attention, but overall, the picture is pleasant.

Analogy: The side that needs desperate help represents our life before Christ. The side that has been tended to is our life after we have accepted Christ. There's a huge difference between the two. One side may seem OK if you ignore all the trash that is on top of it, but at the end of the day, the space that will shine and that will reap the greatest benefit from the Sun is the garden that has been given a gardener.

I'll let you connect the dots on the rest of that; It's officially 12:02 and I need to head to bed. Just wanted to share my thoughts before I take off for the desert.

Love you all! I'll return soon with stories from the southwest, and perhaps even pictures.

T