‘Like a well-watered garden’……

Rhonda was a lost sheep that was found and now lives in the glorious grace and love of the Shepherd.

www.newlineministries.com

    A few Thursdays back, Don, my husband, asked me when I last watered the secret garden.  I thought for a moment, and remembered it was Monday.  Two days had passed, not that many days really.. but for some of the garden flowers that was another story.  I walked out to see how all had fared.  To my surprise, and dismay, several plants were wilted and lying on the ground.  They had been watered well on Monday, just two days ago!  As I stood there watering, I begin to think of the analogy of our souls and how we must keep them well watered.

    Our souls need careful and faithful tending.  They need watering.  Not with just any water, but living water.  God’s Word, His handwritten love letter to you and me, brings life, cleansing, renewal, nourishment, hope, peace, encouragement, and many other delights to our soul.  Yet, it is too easy to get so busy that we fail to tend the garden of our soul.  It doesn’t take long for the assault of the enemy, and life’s daily demands to leave us thirsty and weary.  For my soul, there are several ways to water it.  Open Scripture and read, to sit quietly and ponder a verse or something from a book I am reading, or music feeds my soul also.  Prayer, watching a beautiful sunrise or sunset, or sitting quietly and remembering the faithfulness of God in my life brings joy to my soul and brings praise from my lips.    As I was standing watering my plants in the garden that day, God was teaching me about the need of daily tending to my soul, and that was nourishment in itself for my soul.  I know speaking hope and truth into another weary soul, reminding one who is downcast that there is hope, and His name is Jesus, feeds my own soul.   God has provided so many wonderful ways for our souls to flourish.

     As we feed our flowers nourishment, and prune them for better and healthier production, water them for sustaining life, so our souls need this same tender care and prudent attention.  It isn’t about opening our Bibles and reading a prescribed passage, shutting our Bibles and ticking off a box for “another thing done today,” and feeling proud of ourselves.  Such an attitude can leave a soul garden dry as dead man’s bones!  It is about life, caring, tending, awareness, honesty to yourself and others.  It is about falling and finding mercy and grace.  It is about loving and being loved in a manner outside of our own ability.   All this involves a living and working relationship with Christ, His Spirit alive and working in us and thorough us, which comes from a well-watered garden.

    I encourage you to water your soul garden well today.  I promise you it will make a world of difference in your life, and the lives around you.