The Garden

"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:4-5

I miss watching my grandparents gardening. Growing a variety and hundreds throughout their garden provided a beautiful presence to their whole property.

One of the best lessons I learned from them was how important it is to pull up the weeds before planting. I can hear their voices telling me, "If you want to keep a beautiful garden you must pull up the weeds, first."

Lenten season reminds me of gardening. It's a time for pulling up the weeds in our spiritual lives, while God grows a beautiful garden of His presence through our lives. Have you ever thought about it that way? If you are a true believer, God lives in your heart. If God lives in your heart, we should want to reflect his nature.

Of course, just because you already pulled up the weeds prior to planting, doesn't mean you won't have to keep pulling up weeds after planting.

Imagine a flower bed surrounded by weeds. It doesn't give a nice presence.

When I planted my first garden many years ago, I understood what they meant. It was also apparent that just because I pulled up the weeds first, more weeds weren't going to grow after I planted the garden. Sure enough, I continued to pull up the weeds to keep my garden beautiful.

"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:4-5

How often are you abiding in Christ throughout your week? Do you need to pull up some weeds so that God's presence can be seen through your everyday life? (I am asking myself that this week, too)

What are your weeds that keep God's best from reflecting through you?

During this Lenten season, I invite you to spend time reflecting upon God's presence in your life.

How much of Christ in your life is surrounded by the weeds in your life? How well is Christ seen through you?

With love,

Trey Wilson