Monday, March 30, 2015

Dear God,

Our souls are so like a garden.  They need to be tended, cleaned and cleared, pruned, and watered.  Without constant loving care, they can go to ruin.

Last year that's exactly what happened to my garden.  The person who was to tend it didn't.  I came home to a mass of weeds totally out of control.  My heart fell and I turned my back on the garden.  I let it all go the rest of fall and winter.  But now it is spring and I returned to my contemplative garden.

How often have I allowed my soul to be filled with spiritual weeds?  How many times did I forget to drink from the pool of living water?  How many times did I resist the pruning shear?  What did I get for my lack of effort?  Exactly what I deserved, a cluttered, lifeless, and angry mess.

What amazes me is this:  When the gardener returns and the soil is tilled and worked, cleaned and cleared, and watered with loving mercy, it can come back like the garden in the movie "Secret Garden".  Our souls too can be revived.  When we invite you in as spiritual gardener, you begin the work of renewal and restoration.  We can come back to life in a new and beautiful way.

Holy Gardener,
thank you
for your work
of revitalization.
Thank you
for the care
with which
you tend
the garden
of our souls.
Thank you
for reminding us
we need
to do
our part
to keep vibrant
and functioning.

Love always, Andrea