My Father is the gardener: lesson 2 the beauty of the secret garden

'the more you let yourself compete and compare, the more you forget your own calling'
Ann Voskamp

When I read blogs of women with 6 children (why is it always 6?!) I feel an instant 'failure' in my heart that since I had my second child I've never felt our family has been in a good enough 'place' to cope with adding a third.

I see photos of women's beautiful houses, read of their accomplishments and instead of rejoicing in all that God is doing in and through them, I let it speak negatively to my heart that I've not lived up to their 'standard'.

By dint of the fact that I'm reading their blog, they are a 'successful' blogger/writer and usually a speaker too. Jealousy springs up in my heart.

Then God gave me another 'garden' picture about it.

These big impressive Christians who reach thousands through their words/art/lives: they are like the gardens that you can visit at stately homes. Thousands of people wander through and enjoy and admire the beauty.

Then you come to think of the straggly plot at home. Oh dear. No one is going to come to admire the beauty there.

But then I heard God whisper, "But I delight in visiting my secret gardens too".  There is a beauty and specialness of a private garden that a public garden cannot offer.  A more hidden life is like this - not so impressive to others maybe has it's own unique beauty.

God doesn't want all his gardens to be the same.  He does want his gardens to be places where He is welcome and where we let him be the gardener.  And when we finally stop rushing around trying to impress and live up to a million standards that we were never meant to reach, we can let him show us the unique and special garden he wants to make of our lives. And the result will be beautiful.