The Master Gardener – Week One

My father is a gardener; his yard could be featured in a magazine. Each flower bed is carefully planted and tended to yield a colorful display. I, on the other hand, did not inherit his green thumb. While I love to look at gardens, my gardening skills are most definitely sub-par. Dependent on my abilities, my yard would most likely be a sad display. Thankfully, I haven’t had to find that out. My dad graciously extends his skills to my home.

Based on my father’s expertise and my lack thereof, I trust his judgments, his ideas, and his plans for my yard. Earlier this year, he decided to trim. I looked around afterward and found everything looking refreshed and neat, that is, except one shrub. This poor little guy was stripped back to nothing. What once was branches and life, was only a stick protruding up from the ground. But knowing my father is intentional, I didn’t question, only wondered what the purpose of this move was.

Months later, I looked out my window, noticing that same shrub. Instead of a bare stick, this plant was now full of life and beauty. Seemingly overnight, it had blossomed – not only regaining its former fruitfulness but far surpassing it. Staring at this plant, I felt God whisper to my soul. Just as my earthly father is an experienced gardener, working with knowledge and purpose, so is my Heavenly Father.

Often our lives can feel like that shrub – stripped back and bare. We don’t understand the loss and pain. We can’t see what God is doing. We wonder when life will return to normal.

Our God is the Master Gardener. He is one hundred percent trustworthy, He always knows what He is doing, and He never makes mistakes. In John 15, Jesus calls God the vinedresser. As a skilled caretaker, God is not afraid to cut back the branches (us) that are not yielding their full potential. Why? Because He knows, only when a branch is stripped down does it have the potential to produce more fruit.

Since we can’t see the future, if we are not careful, we doubt our Father. We might wonder if He knows what He is doing. Or we question His timing. But what we see today is not the full picture. It is just a snapshot in time. Our God is working an eternal purpose, and He always wants more from us than we want for ourselves. We can rest in His tender care.

I am reminded of James’s words, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And endurance must have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:3-4 NASB) We can find joy in challenges because what we are facing today is producing maturity. Ultimately, stripping back does not take away life but instead provides more life. When we walk through trails, we can grow and come out on the other side deeper, more vibrant, and steadier.

Growing up, my church sang an old gospel song that pointed to God’s purpose, “when you can’t trust His hand, trust His heart.” Our Master Gardner is cultivating us, His garden. If you can’t see the next step or feel stripped down or broken – trust Him. He is working all things together for our good, never leaving or forsaking us.