Jesus often tells stories or uses gardening principles to teach life lessons. Here are some tips from the Master Gardener as I observe how it works in my little garden:
Scaffolding
One morning I saw a branch of this plant (pic 1) drooping. The base of its stem near the soil was bent and twisted. From experience, I learned it might help to put a wire – saved from my orchids purchase – those wires that hold the orchids stem in shape. I put the wire and the pin to hold it up. Hopefully the base of the stem will grow back to be firm as water continuously pass from the roots to the leaf. This scaffolding technique helped the welcome plant (in the 2nd picture) to grow and stand firm. One of its stems was bent and twisted when a cat stepped on it.
In life, God sends us scaffolds to hold us up and help grow our character. These scaffolds are His Word, His Spirit, His church – fellow believers and even hard challenges and problems in our daily living. It is one little step forward or upward – one step at a time. Some people have bigger steps, others tiny ones. In the end, the goal is to keep moving towards the destination.
Pruning and Trimming:
I trimmed off dead leaves. It is good to cut off branches that turn brown and dry because they make the plants look ugly. It helps the growth of the plant to cut off dead leaves. In life, God puts us in hard situations. He lets us live and relate or work with unloveable people. They might be people who try our patience to grow and nurture our patience. He sometimes allows sickness or loss to test our endurance, perseverance and patience to wait on Him and trust in Him.
A Place in the Sun
I transferred these plants (pic below) from inside the house or near the door to their present place in the sun. Here is the place with just the right amount of sunlight – neither too dark nor too bright. The little one in green pot used to shrink as leaves kept falling. The middle sized plant with green & white triangular leaves used to have shrivelled curly brown leaves until it found its niche in the sun. So with the biggest plant.. new leaf tells me that it is growing healthily. So with life, God puts me where I can thrive and grow the best. Just enough sun, enough rain, enough wind, even a little storm all help to firm up my roots and my stem so I can stand firm and tall. Then I can be the child that He created and intended me to be: my rightful place in the Son.
