Truth, Purity, Excellence

I’m not much of a gardener although I’d really like to be. In her younger years, my mother was an excellent gardener. She knew exactly what to plant, when to plant it, and even where to plant it. She would spend all hours digging and tilling, pulling weeds, pruning flowers. She seemed able to grow anything. What amazed me is that she was always able to point to the various plants and tell me what they were — even before they were in bloom or sometimes even showing their leaves. I do not think I inherited the gardening gene. I have no idea what to plant or when to plant or even where to plant. I try to follow the directions on the little plastic tabs that come with plants but things do not always turn out so well for the plant despite my good intentions. To me, my backyard is a scary place. I do not know what is growing there — and there is a LOT growing. I cannot figure out what is a weed and what is a plant. Until the plant actually brings forth its blossoms, I have no idea. By the time the blossoming starts, things are usually quite out of control! I then face the challenge of distinguishing between what is blossoming since I cannot always recognize what are plants I want to keep and what are actually nuisances that should be pulled out.

This makes me consider our lives. As Christians, God’s Word is spoken to our hearts and is planted as a seed where it can take root. We are to feed this delicate growth with prayer, reading the Bible, and participating in regular Christian fellowship and learning through church attendance so that we can eventually bear much fruit that is the product of God working through and living in us. We can then bear witness to His love and provision so that others may be encouraged and come to know Him, too. If we are not feeding that seed that has been planted, it is entirely possible that people will have no idea what kind of “plant” we are! Will we mature enough to blossom? And what kind of blossom will we produce? Let’s be the kind of plant that the expert gardener can identify the moment the stem starts to poke through the soil. Let’s be like those tulips, daffodils, dogwoods, and cherry trees — so obviously filled with God’s Holy Spirit that people cannot help but notice our leaves and blossoms and know that, with God’s help, we will bear much good fruit (or flowers!) in His perfect timing.

In Jesus’s service,

Bérénice MacKenzie, Principal