When we come to the garden...

"I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart, and wait for the Lord."
~ Psalm 27: 13,14

"I come to the garden alone," are opening words to one of my favorite hymns. Over the years I have spent time in a number of gardens. Nearly all have been a place where I managed to work tbrough things that were on my mind.

For Christ the garden served as a place where he would go to pray.

Solitude is the garden for our hearts, which yearns for love. It can be a place, where we enter alone, can be a place where our faith can take root and bear fruit.

It is the home for our restless bodies and anxious minds.

Solitude, whether it is connected with a physical space or not, is essential for our spiritual lives.

Finding our way to the place where solitude can be found isn't necessarily an easy journey for some of us.

For some solitude is an uneasy, insecure and fearful place. Distractions and over-thinking problems can make the garden an uncomfortable place.

The preparation that goes into a garden, including the plans, does not make the situation immediately satisfying.

Growing up on a farm in Southern Indiana, I knew the hillsides very well. As I would mow I knew where the land dropped and where large rocks were located, just under the surface. Like those hillsides, the garden can also be a place where we meet our demons.

But if we do not run away, we will alao meet the One who says, "Do not be afraid. I am with you, and I will guide you through the valley of darkness."

May we all find ourselves walking in the garden in peace.

Stay in God's grip!

G. Todd Williams (c) 2018