“May the Garden grow” is something I keep repeating in relevance to my new book. But what does that even mean? I had to ask myself that very question! I know what it means as it scrapes the surface, but I needed to dig deeper, to unearth the richness in that soil.
As the ole hymn goes, "I come to the Garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses." The Garden is what I call my studio, named after that song. And, by the way, you're welcome to come visit! But when it's time to paint, to really paint, I'm there alone. This "Garden" is not a green patch in a concrete city or even a container garden... (hah!) there is not even a live plant here! This garden grows other things. This garden is a place where figurative seeds are planted and watered.
It seems that the word “garden” has been following me. Like a playful puppy dog, this word has been right behind my heels waiting for my attention, waiting for consideration and recognition. Through my creative works, I have been pondering this word. I’ve considered that it perhaps refers to our own growth and fruition. I’ve also considered it in the context of purpose and the fundamentality of “pleasing the Planter, not the pickers”; the one who placed us here versus the ones who pick us apart with criticism. I’ve most recently considered the original Garden, the original Plan, and how it was based on Trust, Hope and most of all Love. And I ran with that latter consideration and stretched that theory out into into a book. I reflected on and described what I believe it to look like to have Trust in God’s plan, Hope in his future, and most importantly a heart of Love. And even now that the book has been written, and the pages have been printed, even now that the book, “Looking Up”, is in the hands of readers, these words, “the garden”, they still linger. They still ask for more consideration. “Say more! What exactly do you mean by may the garden grow?”
I had the same questions. In an unlikely order, I continued to study my own words after I literally wrote the book on them. “May the Garden grow” still had more to offer, more to dig into and unearth. I had more explaining to do. I needed to further understand why the “garden” concept has landed in my hands with so much weight. Why has God asked me to apply that word to all of the work I am doing in this season of life? Why does He continue to ask me to water it?
What I confidently know now is that “the garden” refers to The Garden, The Garden of Eden, where everything began with a vision. Yeah, we gotta go way back to the beginning, to that first perfectly beautiful plan in which we were to walk within the Garden with God by our side. In the cool of the day we would have delighted in His physical presence and He in ours where we would have fully trusted his guidance. Until the plan didn’t stick. And basically ever since then, since the fall, since the plan cracked, God has been mending said cracks, using words of golden light to restore our Trust in his plan, our hope for his future making known the Love in his heart, the enormity of the love he has for us, his children.
The fact that we constantly refer to this Garden is proof that the Garden has not been forgotten. Though the Garden of Eden may be long lost, we haven't lost the concept of his original plan for Trust, Hope and Love, only the physicality of it. We haven't lost our ability to go to the figurative Garden where we delight in the loving presence of Love himself and he in ours. But it takes work, yard work, if you will. Because what was a tangible relationship is now one that is based on faith. What was perfect and good (even easy and pleasant) became broken and in need of repair and redemption.
The Garden of Good has been in renovation mode. It exists the way a vision of a home in disrepair exists. It’s loaded with potential, but you have to close your eyes to see it. You don’t buy into the reality easily because its not there visibly. It takes belief and faith and constant affirmation to trust this thing you can’t see yet. You have to simply believe in the vision, in the possibility that a broken stack of lumber could become a thriving home. The Garden is a very present reality, a kingdom, not yet a physical, visible one, but rather a state of the heart, and it needs watering. It needs tending to. It needs someone, lots of someones, to believe in it.
“The Garden”/ the Kingdom/God’s original vision; it is what grows when we place Trust, Hope and Love in everything that we do. In the Garden, in the realm of belief, I know God is not just our creator, but he is our companion. In the Garden, we strive to Trust his plan and his guidance, always, especially when things go terribly wrong. In the Garden we delight in His hope. In the Garden, we believe that our hands can water something He has willed to grow. In the Garden, we will use our lives to Love others as He has loved us.
This brick and mortar studio building isn't called "the garden" because it resembles a pretty English vision of greenery, nor does the Kingdom of God have anything to do with fig ivy walls or luscious plants that appeal to the eye. The Garden I keep referring to is where goodness and love grow, where invisible yet tangible vines climb over concrete walls and locked gates, where the branches of good and humble character burst through tiny cracks in stone and reach deep into the dirt to find their way into the hearts of our neighbors. A little bit of foliage goes a long way in this Garden. Grand, flamboyant gestures and bright proud displays are not as effective as callused, dirty hands. The gardener is humble at heart, gentle and generous in spirit. And even as we come in all different shapes and forms, with different interest and skills and lifestyles, we can all be good gardeners, we can all love. So let’s make way for the Light. This is the Garden of Goodness and Love, a kingdom of Trust and Hope. Let us be the ground keepers. May we see to it that the Garden is watered and fed. May we see to it that the Garden grows.