It Started in a Garden

I don't know how many of you know, but I love to have my hands in the dirt.  I love to garden and to see the fresh black soil sift through my fingers, the smell of rains from times past, and a silky worm glide back into his home.

Gardening is thinking time - a time to de-stress and a time to ponder on the Creator as I take seeds that are so tiny that will hopefully, with water, sunlight and time will spring forth a new life.  Once those precious seeds sprout out their first little stalk, a lot of care is needed to make sure to pull the weeds that want to choke this new life out. At the same time, I have to be careful that I am grabbing just the weed and being ever careful that the roots of the destroying plant is not entwined with my new one.  The one I want to save.

At the end of the season, after a lot of prep, a lot of hard work, there is hopefully a plant that is strong; has stood up to the weather, the lack of water, too much water, weed after weed, bugs that terrorize the poor thing and critters that want to nibble at this fresh delicacy.  This plant will hopefully produce sweet fruit or crisp, tasty veggies.

Today a friend shared a devotion with me... in it is the phrases:
It is interesting that sin began in a garden. And the commitment to bear that sin was also in a garden.
In Eden, Adam sinned. In Gethsemane, Jesus conquered.
In Eden, Adam hid himself. In Gethsemane, our Lord boldly presented Himself.
In Eden, the sword was drawn. In Gethsemane, it was sheathed.
Jesus did this all for us.
(from "Personal Gethsemanes" by Greg Laurie)

So....

In the garden is where it all began.  God created man in the garden.  God created woman in the garden.  God created marriage in the garden. God first created His relationship with man in the garden.  Life was brought forth from the garden.....

... and so was sin.  So was humiliation, shame, and regret.

So was forgiveness.

I wonder if that isn't why I'm drawn to a garden.  To sit and listen to the wind blow through the treetops, birds chirp, squirrels chasing each other... it's peaceful.  it's urethral...  it's calming....

And... I feel so utterly close to the Creator God while in my garden.... Looking forward to spring.