God's Garden - Pt. 4

 

And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:17-19 ESV).

 

Almost everywhere Mary and I have lived I’ve attempted to plant some sort of garden. It may have been containers with tomatoes or larger areas with various vegetables set out for summer enjoyment. As I have mentioned, I do not have a green thumb. While it was always exciting to see the first seeds break through the ground and the plants grow bigger every day, I have found that the work to keep it from growing more weeds than not is never-ending. Unwelcome weeds often grew faster and thicker than the plants I had cultivated. More troublesome, they competed for the ground, sun, nutrients, and water that my plants needed.

 

My weeds reflected what happened to God’s perfect garden long ago. Today’s reading tells us that struggling with weeds and wickedness is part of living in a cursed creation. It is cursed because of humanity’s disobedience. The pattern has sickeningly persisted in all gardens ever since. It’s important to note that the curse is not in the work of gardening but in the frustration of toiling against weeds and wickedness. The work is not without blessing. Fruit and food still come from our toil. God’s creation is still good. Yet our frustration alerts us to our need to be rescued and released, along with creation, from the curse of sin and death. We need a Savior!

 

The good news is that God has provided that Savior. When Jesus came to the earth it was for the sole purpose of redeeming all of creation. With His death on the cross we have the means of the restoration of our relationship with God. Unfortunately many believe they must do all the work themselves. Nothing could be further from the truth. Jesus comes to us and calls us to redemption. Once that is experienced we are set free to “work” in the garden instead of “toiling” in it. If your experience feels more like tiresome toil instead of rewarding work, perhaps it’s time to join Jesus in the work. He makes our way easier, He lightens our burdens (cf. Matthew 11:29).