The Garden

(google search picture)

Garden: yard, an enclosed place. A piece of ground appropriated to the cultivation of herbs, or plants, fruits and flowers; usually near a mansion-house; A rich, well cultivated spot or tract of country ; a delightful spot. 

Song of Solomon 6:2 My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.

There is nothing like cultivating your own little spot in the sun…or shade. Having your own little sanctuary (of sorts) is such a pleasurable delight. A garden…no matter if it’s a vegetable garden, a fruit garden, a kitchen garden, a flower garden, an herb garden, container gardening…it doesn’t matter what kind, a garden brings joy to every sense of our being. 
And, God knew it would too!!  :-)  In Genesis 2:8  we read, And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.

Gardening and Humanity have been a process in union ever since.

GOD planted a garden.  God planted His own little enclosed piece of space…and then He shared it with man.  And He continues to share it even today. We don't get to live in Eden, but God has given to us things of beauty even still.  When we go out and “play” in the dirt, cultivating beauty..there is tranquility, even if it’s hard work sometimes.
  
Thinking on this, when I read my promise verse for today, I couldn’t help but think, “when God walks among the beauty of His garden…the piece that He has loaned to me…is He pleased with how I’ve kept it up?”  You see, I’m not talking about just the physical…but I’m talking about the spiritual.
 
My Beloved—God Almighty—is gone down into His garden.  Am I keeping every root of bitterness, envy, strife, those things that are not like Him out of His garden [Me]?  When He walks among the beds of spices, is the fragrance I am producing a sweet savor unto Him, or am I a stinch in His nostrils?  When He walks among the produce part of His garden, Am I producing enough fruit of the Spirit that I’m satisfying unto Him? And when He walks among the flower garden…gathering the lilies, is it a sight of beauty that brings Him delight?
 
In research I have found that the Lily flower is symbolic for the spiritually advanced. (that's exactly what it said)  The Lilies are also the flower of mothers, (especially new ones), fertility, and nurturing.  Lilies are also used a lot in weddings because they are symbolic of unions, partnerships, and long-lasting relationships.
God longs to gather the lilies.  He longs to gather us and hold us in His hands.  So, if you feel cut…uprooted…do not fear…you are in God’s hands…everything is all right…He just wants to delight in you.  Allow Him to enclose you in a vase of love and present you as a delight on His banqueting table.   

The Beloved longs for sweet fellowship with us.  Our Beloved desires to have partnership…a long-lasting relationship with us.  Us!...mere mortals.  He loves us with an ever-lasting love!

Feeling like a tomato or a cucumber?? Feel like your life is a bit on the spicy side? Or do you feel like a cutting-garden??  It doesn’t matter…Produce! Be productive in God’s Kingdom.  Be willing to bring delight to the Garden-Master today.  *smiles* …now I’m sure you’ll never look at gardening the same way again…. :-} Have some fun this weekend, dig in the dirt…plant…the harvest will come