I live in a house built in 1920 that has a normal (read small) city-sized lot. Over the years, I’ve expanded my flower beds into a large flower garden. I’m pretty much a failure at vegetables. I like to think my yard has an English-cottage-garden feel, but it might not actually hold up to that definition. I just plant what I find pretty and that brings me joy.
I purchased my new camera in October. I decided not to do the fall clean-up of the garden so that I would have a few extra “subjects” to photograph through our long Ohio winter. These birds would be in the garage right now. They probably wish they were.
It’s not a new concept by any means, but I find that my garden can run parallel to my spiritual life. Weeds left untended become huge root-deep problems that can cause pain during removal. Sometimes, the weeds unearth good “fruit.” Even the good, healthy plants need pruning. When left to their own devices, they can grow too big and overtake the space other plants need to develop.
It’s all a balancing act that needs daily tending from the Gardener who loves and cares for us. And after all of that pruning and digging and weeding – even in the dead of Winter – beauty remains.
Feel free to pin or share this meme of Matt. 10:29-31 with someone.
My inspiration for the title of this post comes from Audrey Assad’s beautiful song “Even the Winter.”
