What if we grew bigger gardens than them?

1 Peter 2:12 "Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation."

This summer, I have decidedly taken on a new hobby. It's on a very small scale, and still in the learning stages, but a hobby, none the less. It's flower gardening.

Now before you avid gardeners and botanists begin asking me about the types of flowers I am growing, what type of soil I have and what I use to fertilize it -- wait. I want to make sure I can actually keep them alive for the season first.

I have a tendency to look at people's gardens in awe and appreciation and think "I can do that." It seems acheiving the same effect of some more experienced gardeners in my own humble flower bed is much harder than expected. Not to mention, much more expensive than I anticipated. I think this is very much the same as when I, after much admiring the art of a friend of mine, assumed it would be easy to slap a bunch of acrylic paint on a canvas and have a beautiful work of art (She makes it look so easy!). However, what's found on my canvas' probably couldn't even be called art. Words come much easier for me.

At least my garden looks nice...even if, perhaps, I should have treated the soil differently before I began or planted somethings in slightly different spots.

As alluded to in my previous blog (See "Who's ever heard of a silent bride?"), this is somewhat of a continuation of my heart in the last one. And I have realized, in recent prayers for unsaved people I know, that salvation, evangelism and Christ's return have everything to do with gardening. In a purely allegorical sense, that is.

This last week, God gave me this illustration in my prayer time: Imagine a person, a non-believer, working hard in a garden with a hoe. They were making rows for seeds to be planted. However, with each swing into the ground, the hoe broke through a very thin layer of soil and clanged onto a concrete layer beneath the dirt. They continued this way before going and scattering the seeds in the rows.Then they stood back to watch their garden grow.
Next to them stands a believer, someone they know, doing the same thing. However, their hoe does not clang, but turns up the dirt, just as it should. They also sow thier seeds and stand back to watch the garden.
Over time, and very quickly, the believer's garden grows lush, tall and green, while the non-believer can barely see a shoot come up from the soil in their own.

There are many examples in scripture of God favoring the righteous to set an example to those who do not know him. Surely we all know believers who, in the midst of whatever they're going through, have unbelievable joy and peace, while un-believers trudge through everyday circumstances with a grim and grumpy look on their face-- even if nothing is wrong, everything is wrong! Thier gardens are shallow and dying, while ours should be bright, alive and growing! Which leads me to a question, what if we grew bigger gardens than them?

Being surrounded by some very dear friends who are highly talented and artistic people, I can safely say, that when they show me one of their new paintings, whatever they have depicted causes me to ask questions about what's on their heart and mind. If I see a painting or hear a song by an artist I don't know, I set about to figure out who this person is, so I can experience more of what they have to offer.

This morning I listened to a song singing about the beauty of the risen Christ (based on the discription given in Revelation 1:13-15). It's been said that our goal is to reflect this beauty to the world around us. If that is the case, I want to be one of His pieces of art in the world-- a masterpiece-- so people will ask questions about the Artist. I want my garden to be fuller, more colourful and more skillfully laid and planted than any of the non-believers around me so they will ask questions about the Gardener and experience the same beauty.

What does your garden look like? Is it growing wild and out of control, full of weeds and in desperate need of pruning? Is it dry and empty and refusing to grow anything at all? Or is it one that screams skill, beauty and points to Someone who knows what He is doing? John 10:10 says, "...I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." Are you living an abundant life or scraping to get by?

Does your life make the people around you want what you have? 1 Peter says it's possible to live such good lives that people will praise God on our account when He comes back. How do we do this?

Well, if there was another supernatural truth that I learned from the natural this week, it's that: weeds and roots are much easier to pull out while on your knees. We can only transform the environment of our hearts by spending time in intimacy with Christ, allowing him to convict and prune the areas he needs. He will most assuredly show you where there is a sin issue that needs to be uprooted or an attitude that has grown wild without your realization.

So, how about it, Church, are you willling to help me grow a "community garden" that's way more full of life and colour than the world's gardens around us?