Dreaming of Spring Gardens

“For as the earth bringeth forth her bud,
and as the garden causeth the things
that are sown in it to spring forth;
so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise
to spring forth before all the nations.” Isaiah 61:11

Excuse my natural giddiness. I’ve been dreaming of my spring gardens and caught spring fever. It came on all of a sudden, when the sun popped out and broke through the gray winter sky. As the temperature rose, I was drawn outside to sit on the porch. That’s when I lost my head and fell hard into the dreamy world of tomorrow. Once the sun’s warm rays gently touched my forehead and cheeks, I knew I was a goner. I went from viewing the dormancy of winter to envisioning vibrant plants full of pink and white blooms. I began dreaming of what I’d like to fill my galvanized container gardens with and pondered trying out new plants. I yearned for the azaleas, geraniums, jasmine and roses to come out to play. I promised myself I’d spend more time with them, tending my garden and enjoying my time outside. Then, I woke up and realized that dreaming and planning don’t make gardens happen. Sooner or later, I have to get up and do something.

Dreams and gardens can’t bloom and grow if efforts aren’t made to plant them in fertile soil with commitments to nurture them. We can aim for, aspire to, and attempt at, but, eventually, we have to act on our dreams. While hoping, wishing, and wanting are great motivators, they don’t accomplish the goals or reach the desired destinations.

Fulfilled dreams require action. We have to get up and go at some point. Unlike God, we can’t speak the world, or our gardens, into existence. (Genesis 1) But, we can:

• plan for the seasons
• prepare our soil
• plant our seeds

We also can bloom where we’re planted and thrive with God’s nurturing too.

Gardening is such a fun process that cultivates life, change, growth and beauty. While I have a long way to go as a want-to-be gardener, every season, I yearn to be better and yield productive results. So, I continue to observe, question, learn and practice, even when I falter and fail.

Gardens of Our Hearts

I love how God uses gardening examples to teach us about the harvest of our hearts. As we see in the Isaiah 61:1 passage above, He promises to make righteousness and praise spring forth like buds from the earth and things sown in gardens. Don’t you love that? The great Creator, and Gardener, cultivates good crops in His people for all the nations of the world to see. That’s why it’s important to keep the soil of our hearts soft for planting, so God can grow His harvest in us.

Gardens of Our Homes

The same goes for our homes and gardens. We can’t work sporadically and expect fruit. If we want a harvest, we have to move past dreaming and saving pics on Pinterest, scrolling social media, reading magazines and talking about our plans. We have to prep the soil and work steadily and systematically—step by step and season by season.

I can’t wait to see what springs forth this year and pray we can all turn our dreams into reality. It’s time to get our hands in the dirt. You in? Let’s get ready to plant! (Gloves are optional.)

Bring It Home

What do you hope to see in your garden this spring?

Praying for you as we grow together, Smiles, BRC