Getting the Garden Ready

This early spring has gotten us in the gardening mood early and we have prepared the soil by turning it, and fertilizing for the flowers we hope to plant this month. A healthy root system is important for growth to happen. You can't have a flower without the roots. In order for us to have a healthy root system, we have to get to know Jesus.

Last week while walking our dogs around the Keswick lake we noticed a tree down near the Colony of Mercy horseshoe pit. One of the men from the Colony said it just fell around noon. It wasn't raining, and there was no wind to speak of. It was a tall pine tree with a very small root bulb. It amazes me that it could grow so tall and yet have very little root. The wet sand from rain in previous days just gave way and down the tree went. Every trouble we face can threaten our stability when we are not deeply rooted in Christ.

I recently read a book by Christina Shofield called, "My Life and Lesser Catastrophes." It is the story of her walk with Christ during a time of great trial. On her 13th anniversary, she and her husband got a babysitter for their little girl and went on a motorcycle ride down a country road. They hit some loose gravel and were thrown from the motorcycle. Her husband suffered injuries that left him paralyzed from the neck down. Here is what she wrote in her book: "In the weeks leading up to the accident, I had had trouble sleeping. I woke up almost every night at 3:00 or 4:00 a.m. unable to trail back off to sleep. So I'd drag myself out of bed, tuck my Bible under my arm like a football and find a quiet corner where I would talk with God. I'm glad we had that squint-eyed time together, He and I, because things soon would be turned upside down between us." God was building her root system as she spent time with Him and got to know Him.

Colossians 2: 6, 7 - Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.

Joyce Hayes
Artist-in-residence