Home Is Where Your Garden Is

“The kiss of the sun for pardon, the song of the birds for mirth, one is nearer God's heart in a garden than anywhere else on earth.” -Dorothy Frances Gurney

I feel more at home in my garden than anywhere else.  I can rest, work, and dream there and when the weight of the world bears down on me, it is my safe place.  My time in the garden affords me rest, contentment, and a peace that coaxes me back into harmony with the lover of my soul.  

Revelations of God are abundant in the backyard space that owns my garden.

The Monarch butterflies have just been swarming the bushes and flowers this spring.  They are incredibly beautiful.  They migrate as far as Central America in the fall and remain there until March of the following spring.  Then they return to Texas and the southern United States to lay eggs on freshly sprouted Milkweeds.  Wow, maybe my war on weeds should show some mercy toward Milkweeds!  Once again we see God’s plan carried out in a most unexpected way.  He uses what we consider an ugly, annoying disgrace to the garden to serve as a host to help birth, protect, and feed one of His most beautiful insects...imagine that.

I have also seen many ladybugs.  What an appropriate name for such a cute little insect.  According to Ladybuglady (ladybuglady.com), “In Europe, during the Middle Ages, insects were destroying the crops, so the Catholic farmers prayed to the Virgin Mary for help. Soon the Ladybugs came, ate the plant-destroying pests and saved the crops! The farmers began calling the ladybugs "The Beetles of Our Lady", and they eventually became known as "Lady Beetles"! The red wings represented the Virgin's cloak and the black spots represented her joys and sorrows. They didn't differentiate between males and females.”  God reveals himself in the details again…imagine that.

My garden lizards have come out of their holes and hibernation to hide in my potted flowers.    We have an agreement.  I give them lots of places to hide out and stay cool with plenty of water sources and they in turn eat many bothersome insects!  It seems that once lizards are attracted to your garden – chances are you’ll have them forever. Lizards are long lived, and will stay in more or less the same place for years.  So, we have a long standing partnership in place.  From what I understand, lizards are not very good at catching flies, so God sends me some frogs a little later to pick up the slack.  Frogs find their way to my fountain in the middle of the suburbs, miles from the nearest water supply, and in the worst drought conditions in decades…imagine that.

Perhaps these creatures come to the garden for the same reason I do; to find a safe place, a place of sanctuary and harmony.  When threatened by the evils of this world God promises rest for the weary and burdened if we come to Him.  I am honored to be a part of that homecoming.

Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”  - Matthew 11:38