The Neglected Garden

The Neglected Garden

Yesterday I worked in our garden. May was very busy for me, and I didn't manage to get out there much at all… so you can imagine what the poor neglected thing looked like. There were tomatoes ripening in the dirt because the vines were sprawling everywhere. The vines had grown like a jungle, with lots of suckers spreading out every which way. Weeds and grass had infiltrated, in many places outgrowing the seeds I planted. As I pulled weeds and tied up and tidied the tomato plants, I thought about how busy the last month has been and I began to wonder what else I had neglected…

I know I neglected my husband; we just didn't have any time together. My youngest didn't get much school work done because I didn't take the time to keep up with it. I coasted through teaching karate. But at the top of the list I have to put my neglected time with God. Do to busyness and some personal struggles I did not put time or effort into my relationship with God. I didn't ignore Him, I just didn't spend the time in prayer, I didn't spend the time in books about God, and I didn't spend the time meditating on His word that I usually do.

As I continued to think about these things I noticed some other things in my garden… the weeds were easy to pull, many seeds had sprouted, the tomato plants looked healthy. There were lots of ladybugs, I think they were eating the little mites I found on the tomatoes. The rain fell even though I neglected to water. And I realized that even though I had neglected my garden, God had not.

Likewise, God did not neglect my family and He did not neglect me. He never gets too busy to do what is right and best for His children. He blessed us and worked in all of our hearts without my input. Funny, He didn't seem to need me or my work at all! But the time I missed with my family is lost forever; the time we could have spent together is just gone, as is the time I could have spent with my Lord. I missed out on the fellowship and the joy of being together; I missed the blessings of my relationships.

Lord, open my eyes to see the opportunities You place in front of me. Keep me flexible enough to take those opportunities, especially in the midst of the business of life. Remind me of what is most important and what is best in life. Good is not enough, there is only time for Best.

©Rebecca A Givens, 06/13/2008