Tilling the Garden of My Soul

     There is just something about gardening that refreshes my spirit. I love digging and playing in the soil. The patch of ground that I have designated as "my little garden" is full of weeds and hardened soil. As I begin to pull the weeds, it always reminds me how God the Father roots out the weeds in my life, one by one. He just keeps digging at the root of the weed until it is pulled up and tossed out.

     As I pull each weed in my little garden, I realize that the weeds will probably come back again because I failed to dig up the roots because the roots run deep. Allowing God to pull up the weeds in my own heart helps me to get rid of the clutter in my life in order to make more room for God's grace to be poured into my soul.

     At times it seems God's grace is trickling in like a slow dripping faucet because the weeds in my heart are clogging the flow of grace. The weeds are stubborn things in my life such as persistent unfounded fear and discouragement that keeps me in a state of anxiety and worry. Fear is not of God nor is a lack of trusting in Jesus to take care for my family. It is easy to trust in Jesus when things in my life are going good. Thank goodness for those times of refreshment in the Holy Spirit. But life is not like that all the time and its not suppose to be. Jesus said, if they persecute me they will persecute you. When things are falling apart in my family that is when it can be difficult to trust. When the garden of my soul, is being overtaken with noxious weeds of all kinds of troubles, I cry out 'My God, Why have you abandoned me? I hear a still small voice deep within, whisper, "Come bring your certificate of fear and doubt and nail it to my cross. My child, I have suffered it all for what you are going through at this moment of time."

     As I allow Jesus to come into the garden of my heart and root out the weeds of fear and doubt, he plants His beautiful seeds of His Truth, His Mercy, and His Love in my heart. In order for the garden of my heart to produce good fruit, I need to go to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. It is before my Eucharistic Lord that I am able to I let go of my hold on those stubborn weeds. Jesus' love casts out all fear. As I sit in silence adoring my Jesus, I begin to open my heart to receive His living water which replenishes my thirsty soul and warms my spirit with his sweet sunshine of His amazing grace. As I spend time in His Word, in prayer and in the quiet, I begin to see the new seedlings emerge in my life. Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection stated: " We must keep our eyes fixed on God in everything we say, do or undertake. Our goal is to be the most perfect adorers of God in this life as we hope to be throughout all eternity. We must make a firm resolution to overcome, with God's grace, all the difficulties inherent in the spiritual life." 1691.  

     My participation at daily Mass continues to nourish the garden of my soul with the Living Bread and quenches my thirst with his Previous Blood. I am aware that I am living in His peace.

Yet, the world, the flesh and the devil wages war against me wanting to rob me of His peace, but I cling to the Rock of my salvation. Venerable Louis of Granada said: "Let the Christian realize, therefore, that in this world he should be like a rock that is constantly buffeted by the waves, but remains constant and unmoved. I can only do this if I cling to Jesus Christ. Each day at the Altar, I abandoned myself to his care. I place myself in the garden of the Immaculate Heart of Mary where Jesus' love grows and then she places me in the Sacred Heart of Jesus where I am divinely protected from the evil one.
     Like any garden, if left unattended the weeds will eventually trample the seedlings. When the garden of my heart needs some extra care I go the Sacrament of Reconciliation where my soul is washed clean by the Blood of the Lamb.

     As I continue to care for my 'little garden' and watch with delight the vegetables maturing, I quietly surrender the garden of my soul to the gentle care of My Gardener, Jesus Christ. The garden of my soul is in very good hands because Jesus gives me all the tools needed to grow closer and closer to Him.