Tending Your Garden

“Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyard, our vineyard that are in bloom.” Song of Solomon 2:15

Spring and summer are my favorite season of the year. There are several reasons including a warmer temperature and seeing green again with new life springing forth in God’s beautiful world.

My dad was a wonderful gardener and mandatory service in the garden was required of his children. My favorite task was planting—carefully laying out straight rows, tenderly placing plants or seeds in the ground, covering, fertilizing and watering methodically. Anxiously we would await growth!

In the meantime, however, something always happened to our “Garden of Eden” we had so excitedly planted—it was called weeds, insects or furry little pests. The garden refused to maintain itself.

By now, the excitement of seeing the growth had worn off, the temperatures were really hot and we had things that we would rather do, but dad told us to have good produce takes constant attending. Words I knew were true, but really didn’t care to hear or heed.

The “little foxes” is what spoils our life if we don’t attend to it. Christians that would never consider committing a “grievous” sin can still be derailed by “little” sins daily destroying their relationship with the Lord. In John 15 Jesus tells us He is the true vine and we are the branches and if we remain in Him we will bear fruit. If there are any little foxes that eat away and disconnect us from the root system, we wither and die on the vine absolutely fruitless.

Tending our spiritual life is hard work, the excitement may wane, hoeing was never fun (unless you were mad), the heat is on, and there are other things that appear much more enjoyable, but bearing much fruit is our goal.

Keep at it! “We will reap a harvest, if we faint not. “ (Galatians 6:9)

Pastor Ruth Kaunley