Two friends, both nature lovers, were discussing their gardens.
The first complained that though he had done everything for his garden, it just hadn’t grown any plants.
“I bought the best soil, the best pots. I picked the best spot in my backyard. And I watered it every day too. I built a fence around it to protect it from animals. I worked tirelessly to get rid of all the weeds and kill them. I did everything in my power to protect it from harm.
And yet, after all that work, the weeds are still there, and I have no plants. It’s all been useless.”
The other boy smiled, and replied, “My brother, you did your best to protect your garden. You took care of everything that could’ve been a potential threat, and you kept your garden safe from it all. You knew what was bad for it, and you made sure it stayed away.
But as much as you remembered to protect it from what was harmful, you forgot to do the one thing that was the reason for it all…
You forgot to plant the seeds.”
So often, we reflect the first friend in our walk with Jesus.
We focus on our sins – on the things we are not allowed to do, and we try to determine what is allowed and what isn’t.
We ask ourselves how much we can compromise before it’s considered a sin.
We play with temptation, wondering how far we can go before we actually fall.
And we ask ourselves – “is this allowed?”
“Is it okay if I watch this show or is it wrong?”
“It is alright if I indulge in this or that today, or is that wrong?”
“What am I allowed to do and what can’t I do?”
And we try to stay away from the things that are considered ‘sins’.
But you see, it’s not so much about the things we don’t do, as it is about the things we need to do.
It’s about walking with God.
It’s about pursuing Him, actively.
It’s about loving Him, and loving our neighbours and enemies.
It’s about giving till it hurts.
It’s about being peacemakers.
Because when we’re out there doing what we’re supposed to doing, the question of what we’re not supposed to be doing isn’t really going to be a problem.
We aren’t even going to have the time to worry about what we shouldn’t be doing.
The truth is, gardening isn’t about removing weeds. It’s about planting flowers.
