Flowers and Other Living Things

I never used to like gardening. The extent of my forays into the yard consisted of mowing the lawn and raking leaves. A friend of mine who is an avid gardener and the possessor of a large, wooded plot of land in constant need of tending, got me to reevaluate my whole attitude toward plants. Now I love fussing around in the garden. Planting flowers, pruning bushes, hedges, and trees provides a great sense of satisfaction. Plus it gives me a good excuse to smoke a cigar.

Nothing is quite so lovely as sitting in the shade, listening to the trickle of water in the pond, the merry music of the birds, the sighing of the leaves as the breeze wanders through the trees—hey, that rhymes!—and contemplating how much God must love His creation. They say gardening is good for the soul, and I agree.

You know what though? The most important thing I’ve learned from gardening is that living things always respond best to gentleness and patience. Just look at this little calendula. When I got hold of it, it was in a tiny pot, overwatered, and dying. I stuck it in my favorite nursery pot, let it dry its feet, fed it, and waited to see what would happen. Just a couple weeks ago, I checked on it and here’s what I saw…

People are like this too. Look around you. They’re everywhere. Tired, parched, sick, and starving. Some of them may be drowning in worry, addiction, or mental disease. But with a little gentle pruning, some space to grow, a warm light to shine on their tired faces, and most of all, gentle reassurance, they too can flower again.

The Master Gardener will not break a bruised reed, neither should we.