A garden is a thing of beauty and a job forever.
Richard Briers
I freely admit that I am nowhere the gardener as I am the housekeeper. For one thing, gardening happens outside in the heat (forget about houseplants; I have a 100% kill rate). And gardening involves dirt. And bugs. Yet I enjoy the beauty of growing things, so I do the small amounts of gardening my tiny area requires, then admire the handiwork of cleverer gardeners and enjoy the fruits of their labors.
Unlike houses which tend toward decay, gardens strain toward life. If left to itself, a garden will burst forth enthusiastically. Plants will sprout and flower seemingly overnight, especially the ones we consider weeds. Even given less than ideal conditions, plants will grow and take over an area. That is how it was created to be:
[God] commanded, “Let the earth produce all kinds of plants, those that bear grain and those that bear fruit”—and it was done… and God was pleased with what he saw. Genesis 1:11, 12b Good News Translation (GNT)
Then God put humans in the garden to work and take care of it — and enjoy it. In the beginning the work was not intended to be a chore.
The ground was cursed. It still is. We fight to make it feed us and we don’t always win. But it won’t always be so. Eden will be restored. The Apostle John reports:
Then the Angel showed me Water-of-Life River, crystal bright. It flowed from the Throne of God and the Lamb, right down the middle of the street. The Tree of Life was planted on each side of the River, producing twelve kinds of fruit, a ripe fruit each month. The leaves of the Tree are for healing the nations. Never again will anything be cursed. Revelation 22:1-3a The Message (MSG)
No more curse. No more struggle. No more crop failure. No more starving children. Food — and healing — will be readily available. For everyone.
That’s God’s promise, so we can count on it.
God will restore his planet and his children
to their Garden of Eden splendor. It’ll be perfect.
Perfect in grandeur. Perfect in righteousness. Perfect in harmony.
Max Lucado
But in the meantime, it’s still up to humans to work in and care for our “garden.” Excuse me. I have to go weed and water while I pray for rain.