Christian Articles Archive
God's Garden
by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson
Print this Page
Sign up now for a free
Galatians Bible Study
The fresh smell of the mountain air and the cold squishy sensation
of Yosemite's sub-alpine meadows under bare feet invigorated the
senses. My 21-month-old daughter jounced in the "Geri Carrier"
on my back as we hiked along a mountain stream which was to become
the Tuolumne River. We passed through vivid patches of hundreds
of wildflowers in sunny openings along the stream. There was the
orange brilliance of the Sierra Tiger Lily, the bright blue-purple
of Bush Lupine against the lush green foliage, here and there
the surprise of a Shooting Star--and if one looked closely, a
Scarlet Columbine. The list went on and on.
I found myself telling my daughter riding behind me, "Annie,
this is God's garden." The beauty filled me with joy. But
the concept of God's Garden set my mind imagining what God liked
in His garden.
God must love variety, I thought. Even plants of the same species
are different--some tall, some leafy, others with a profusion
of flowers. God must love variety! He is not the God of an assembly
line creation, but One who loves and appreciates the differences.
Cloning is a distinctly man-made aping of Deity.
We often feel insecure when we perceive differences between ourselves
and others. We feel that we may be somehow irregular and not
quite right. The truth is, God loves variety. All His plants
are different. That's the way He likes it. God made us this
way and loves us for our uniqueness. He created our uniqueness
for His own purposes.
There is a beautiful verse in Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV):
The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His
love, He will rejoice over you with singing."
As Annie and I walked through God's garden in the high mountain
meadows of Yosemite, my heart was thrilled and filled with joy
from the beauty of it. I am sure that, in the same way, God longs
to rejoice, sing for joy, over His people, His church.
We are God's garden, the planting of the Lord. Singly we are
unique flowers, together a garden. I pray that He enjoys visiting
His gardens on Sunday mornings. And I hope He whistles in His
heart to the songs we are singing to Him.
Annie, we are God's garden.
Copyright © 1985-2012, Ralph F. Wilson. <pastor
joyfulheart.com> All rights reserved. A single copy of this article is free. Do not put this on a website. See legal, copyright, and reprint information.
Lamb of God
