So far this summer I have received tomatoes, cucumbers and
blueberries from friends’ gardens and I am grateful for the delicious produce
they have provided. But when I think of gardens, I often picture the kind
covered in roses, hydrangeas and azaleas like the Mobile Botanical
Gardens. After Mom died, I went there
several times and God used the tranquil setting to provide great comfort.
So I
guess in the wake of losing Dad, I shouldn’t have been surprised when gardens
popped up as a theme in novels I was reading recently.While I haven’t had the opportunity to visit a garden yet
this summer, I have enjoyed the abundant purple, pink, and fuchsia crepe
myrtles and the vibrant blue hydrangeas which brighten the streets I travel
daily. Last week, I even took an armchair trip via DVD to several gardens in
England.
All of this has brought to mind the gardens in the Bible—Eden
where the story of mankind starts and the idyllic New Jerusalem with its
orchard and river where the story ends. Right in the middle of the story though
is the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus poured out His sorrow-filled heart to
the Father. Somehow it comforts me to
know that when the Savior needed solace, He too sought out a garden. It was
there in a garden Jesus submitted to God’s plan and willingly chose to die for
my sins. While God can provide generous treasures in a variety of gardens,
there can be no greater gift to come from a garden than Jesus’ sacrifice.
“I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses.
And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.”
--C. Austin Miles
