Friday, February 12, 2016

Saturday, February 6, 2016

"Tending Our Garden"

 
We are currently in Costa Rica!  We were required to leave Guatemala for 72 hours in order to reset our tourist VISAs.  We found a great price on tickets, an awesome deal on a rental car and a villa to rent for a few days.  So . . . here we are!
 
This trip hasn't been about 'doing' but about 'tending our garden'.  I decided that I was going to spend some time reading while we were gone.  I also decided to stay away from my phone (except to navigate for Don) and off of Facebook.  There is always a 'tinge' of guilt that comes with making some of those decisions.  "I need to be available". "I have responsibilities". "What if someone needs us or needs something or has a question or . . . "
 
The book I have been reading is by Danny Silk called "Keep Your Love On".  Many of you have probably read it or at least heard of it.  I am almost finished. In Chapter 9, I learned about 'tending my garden'. 
 
"God has given all of us a garden to tend. He plants trees in it, and sends the sun and the rain to make them grow. But we are the ones who have the responsibility to care for the trees and the right to enjoy their fruit. No one else has that responsibility. Only by being diligent in managing what is ours will we reap a harvest that will nourish us and give us something good to offer others." (Chapter 9 - Keep Your Love On)
 
We had a garden and several fruit trees when we lived in Nebraska.  It took a lot of time and energy to keep the weeds out and prune the trees.  The healthier the plants and trees, the more produce we had to consume as a family and to share with our friends and neighbors. 
 
This is the idea the author is referring to in the above quote. If we don't keep ourselves 'healthy' - physically, emotionally, spiritually - we produce very little fruit.  Not enough to sustain ourselves but certainly not enough to 'share'. 
 
"If you truly want to be loving and unselfish, you will take the time and effort to get your garden producing the best fruit possible so you can offer something valuable to others." (Chapter 9)
 
The irony is that it appears selfish to go away for a few days, but in reality, the time away is equipping us to be unselfish when we return. It is filling us up so we can overflow to those around us.
 
 
 
So we are here in Costa Rica, tending our garden.  We want to do this thing well.  We want to offer the best of ourselves to those around us.  We want to share our time, talents and resources without burning out and depleting ourselves.  This doesn't have to do with where we live and serve.  This is truth for all of us.  May we all get filled with more of Him so we can overflow to the lives that He intersects with ours.
 
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13