Skip to main content

Three Gardens - Part Two: Moments in Gethsemane




I find that the quiet, soothing shade of a garden is the easiest of places to sit and talk with God. I love to go out early, before the dawn, and watch and listen as night transforms into morning. No matter how cold it is, there I am, on the back porch, bundled up in flannel and blankets, before makeup and hairdos happen, before text messages and emails begin constantly beckoning, even before the dog is awake to claim my attention. It's worth it, to hear the crickets and frogs give way to birds, to see a warm glow stretching out and pushing away the shadows, the same way God's mercy sweeps away the dark things in our past.

 As I huddle with my cup of coffee in the dim glow of a Bible app, I can't help reflecting on His goodness. I am in awe that His "mercies are new every morning." (Lamentations 3:23). Just like the sunrise, it happens every day. Every single day. 

 The second garden is just as important as Eden, the first, because it is a place of transformation. Jesus knelt in such a place, pained beyond desciption by a particular choice. Would he flee, or be crucified? Would he give in to his own human inclinations, or obey God and fulfill his purpose? It was in the Garden of Gethsemane that he cried, and agonized, and finally but fully submitted. "Not my will, but yours." 

 It's in this place of decision we often find ourselves, crying out to God for help. But, are we asking for help to do things our way, or are we praying, "Not my will, but yours?" Often, releasing what we want seems just as agonizing as giving up who we are. How could God ask us to change so many things, and change so much? To leave our petty pursuits behind, in favor of a bigger purpose? But that's exactly what Jesus did. He was the son of God, the Holy one, yet he stood silent before slander, abuse, torture and punishment by sinful, lowly humans. He was guiltless, yet he was labeled guilty. He was life itself, yet he submitted to death.

 If we are to ever find our way to Paradise, we must understand that the only path there leads through the garden of decision. It's a daily decision--to take up our cross and follow Him. To bite our tongues when we want to give someone a piece of our mind. To smile and wave when we want to honk our horns. To show kindness to the bully, try to cheer up the office grouch, or quietly clean up after our messy kids (that includes the husband, your biggest kid, too...)

 Ironically, it's not usually the big decisions--which job to take, which people to invite, which car to buy--that derail us from the right path. These very deliberate choices usually get the thinking-through that they deserve. It's the momentary, every day choices that really get us into trouble. The destructive habits, thoughtless slips and surprise mishaps can add up to a bigger trail of tears than we ever imagined. It's when we neglect the small things, over and over, that we find ourselves so far from God that we have no idea where we are anymore. 

 In your longing for Eden, don't stop there. Find your Gethsemane, and go there regularly, about every little thing. If we go, He's faithful to meet us there.  Talk with him about the big mistakes. Ask about the little things. Meet Him there every day, as early as you can. Because His mercy is new every morning. Every single morning.

“I took my troubles to the Lord; I cried out to him, and he answered my prayer.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭120:1‬ ‭
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

#INSUFFICIENT Part 3...Running on empty

Every day, in some way or another, we seem to come up short. Our output exceeds our income, and we are "in the red" when it comes to so many things, such as time, energy, money...even enthusiasm. Being tapped out seems to have become the norm, as we chase every opportunity, pursue countless friendships, enlist ourselves in every new cause, and rack up accomplishments, jam-packing our resumes, calendars, and Facebook friends list until we don't have a single spare moment to ourselves. From the outside, it looks like a "full life;" on the inside, it feels pretty empty. How can something so empty feel so heavy? First of all, "more" isn't necessarily "better." Have you ever been behind a group of tween girls ordering their drinks in a coffee shop? They like the fru-fru girly coffees, with lots of sugar, calories, and every possible option, extra this, extra that...Aside from taking FIVE-EVER (I just learned this term from my daughter-...
1 comment
Read more

The Friday Frenzy

How the weeks fly by! It's Friday, already, and here we are, dizzied by the sight of our to-do lists...so many boxes, still unchecked! Where do you begin? It seems that your desk needs tidying up, your closet needs cleaning, or perhaps the fridge needs to be cleaned out. Rather than face the mountain of tasks we should be doing, we plunge into a frenzy of something I call " productive procrastination. " If it requires explanation, perhaps it's not one of your unfortunate inclinations, as it is mine. For clarification, however, allow me to define the phrase: exerting your efforts in otherwise non-urgent, comparatively mindless tasks, rather than the more urgent ones requiring your full attention. It's something we all do, once in a awhile--something I've done from an early age. The phenomenon (as I choose to categorize it, since it seems to take on an energy and behavior all its own) presents itself whenever feel unequal to the priority tasks at hand. For w...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ever After

This weekend, we re-watched “Ever After,” a historical fiction drama based on the fairy tale of Cinderella. As a most beloved daughter reduced to a despised servant in her own manor house when her father died, the girl endured heartbreak and hardship for many years...until...! Long story short, when she stood next to the throne with the royal family, the newly crowned princess and future queen, she was in a completely new position in the presence of her angry stepmother. She was no longer under the wicked woman’s control, to order around and abuse. No longer subject to her unkind words or doubled labor. No longer her slave. She has nothing to fear or dread from the woman who had held her captive in the cruelest way her whole young life, because now she wore a crown.  Imagine your life with the same kind of triumph. Freed from the voice that condemns you and tells you you’ll never be good enough. Free from the ever-increasing burden of plodding through your days with the weight of t...
Post a Comment
Read more