As I stand with hose in hand and allow my mind to drift, my soul to search…I am taken back almost every time I water our lawn to my Pop’s words of wisdom. “Karen, you must saturate the grass.” “That tree is thirsty so give it a good drink.” “Karen, the sidewalk doesn’t grow.” These words of wisdom may have pertained to the watering job at hand. However, I can also see now how those same words apply to life and my personal relationship with God and others. In addition to that fact is that I, like my Pop, prefer to hand water our lawn for the sheer pleasure and opportunity it affords me to listen and think.
One need not think very hard to see where my priorities lay at the time just by merely hearing his statements. When I was eager to sprinkle the lawn and get about my own business…or when I gave the same mindless attention to the tree…or was perhaps daydreaming and watering needlessly in areas which would never benefit. Immaturity has grown into wisdom as I now ponder and appreciate what my Pop had to say.
My Mother has recently moved in with us and also enjoys watering and tending the garden. She prefers sprinklers to soaking, but does so with great attention and consistency. Consequently, our yard is blooming lush and green. Similarly, so is her relationship with our Savior. She practices the necessary watering of her spirit when she not only prays throughout her day but takes time to read God’s Word. For when we pray, we are doing all the talking. However, when we read God’s Word and sit quietly pondering Him, we are then listening. No relationship does well for one party to do all the talking and no listening!
God’s Word is alive and it nourishes our soul as well as our body. God’s Word is true and can be relied upon in any situation. God’s Word is faithful and will never fail us. God’s Word and God’s Love are our essence and as the little wooden sign which hangs in my garden says, “All things grow with love.”