The Master Gardener – Week Two

By and large, most people I know love control. Instead of being told what to do, we prefer to chart our course and make our own decisions. We want independence, not uniformity. We pride ourselves in financial stability, personal values, freedom, goals, plans, and knowing our next steps.

And even more than we love the feeling of control, we hate losing control. You know. When we have a plan, and it falls apart. When we believe it is our decision, but we get overruled. Or when we make wise choices, but things don’t turn out as we predicted.

So what do you do when plans fail, your ideas are vetoed, or life takes you by surprise? 2020 isn’t the first time we faced this dilemma, but it has undoubtedly revealed a lot about who we are and what we believe. As you have looked in the mirror, what have you seen?

If your experience is anything like mine, you have seen things you wish weren’t there. My reactions haven’t always been what I would have hoped. Some days I felt like I was shriveling up. I lost my sense of identity. I was frustrated with God. I felt laziness, apathy, and disappointment try to swallow my purpose and joy.

But at the same time, in this season, when I can’t plan and predict, I have gone deeper. The Amber from the beginning of 2020 is not the Amber who I see today. Because for me, the chaos has ultimately drawn me closer to the only One who knows all things. I love how Paul describes Jesus in the book of Colossians, “He is before all things, and in Him all things are held together.” (Colossians 1:19 NASB)

As I face my limitations, I find peace in the One who controls all things. While there are many, many things outside of my authority, nothing is outside of His.

It may seem counter-intuitive, but the answer to overcoming out lack of control is surrender and dependence. In John 15, Jesus explains our need for Him, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.” (John 15:4)

As the Master Gardener, God knows the only way a branch will survive is through its connection to the vine. The vine is the source of nutrients, life, and growth. Think about what happens when you remove a branch from a tree or plant. Before long, it dries out. No longer can it grow to produce fruit or leaves. It is useless. And we are the same way without Jesus.

A few weeks ago, I was reminded of a saying from the book of Zechariah – who has despised the day of small things? I had been reflecting on my frustrations with where I am and wondering how to respond. What do you do when month and month seems to offer no change, no breakthrough?

As I studied the words of Scripture, I saw in this same chapter God speaks a directive to Zerubbabel, “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit.” (Zechariah 4:10). God does not need human power or might. He is entirely self-sufficient. Zerubbabel’s problems are described as a great mountain – impossible, immovable, unchanging. But by God’s spirit, that mountain would be flattened.

Circumstances don’t determine our purpose or define us, but they can shape us into the person God wants us to become. Whatever mountain is in front of you today – remember, God does not need your abilities to overcome it. By His Spirit and in His time, that mountain will bend to His purpose. Our job is not to fix things, plan things, or even understand things but to depend on Jesus.

As our Master Gardener, God is stripping back to cultivate life. He is like a Master Playwrite, weaving together the script of our lives. Nothing escapes His notice, and nothing is beyond His grasp. He works all things together for good.

Abide in Him. Trust Him.

Then you, my friend, will bear much fruit.

You will overflow with life.

And others will see Jesus in you.