June 27, 2021: The Ultimate Gardener

“Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:6, NIV).

Every spring and summer, I spend hours each week in my garden beds— planning, planting and weeding—trying to enrich the soil and finding the best plants for my semi-shaded plot.

In 2019, I followed the same guidelines, planted everything in the same time period as past years, but took an extra action that made all the difference.

I patiently waited and relaxed.

Instead of worrying, I decided to pause and see how they would do. I also prayed over my garden and decided to just enjoy it. I resolved to not be disappointed if my perennials didn’t fill in just the way I had imagined.

The spring brought just the right amount of sun and rain, and the garden blossomed much better than the last three summers.

What was my secret? It wasn’t mine at all. I just let go of the growth process and watched God work. He sent the rain, set the temperature and beamed the right amount of sunshine on my backyard.

I still had to weed and fertilize, but I know my flower beds weren’t thriving because of me. If that were the case, they wouldn't have flourished better than the last several years. As my garden grew, so did my faith—reminding me that God will help my life blossom too.

Seek God today. Learn about His good ways, and then trust Him to grow your life in the way He knows best.

Dear Lord, may Your results in our lives bloom brighter than we could ever plan ourselves. Amen.

V. Michelle Bernard is an assistant director for the Office of Strategic Communication and Public Relations at the Columbia Union Conference.