My Father is the gardener: lesson 3: the point of the garden

Maybe this is not news to anyone else in the world except me, but it honestly is something that's only just begun to dawn on me:

Gardens aren't just about work. They're about enjoyment.

I tend to think of things in terms of whether they are useful. So I tend to think of the 'use' of my garden as being a fun and safe place for my children to play.

I've tended to think of gardening as another 'to do' on an already long list of things I ought to be doing but am not.  For me the point of gardening has been:

So I'm not too ashamed of the disgraceful state it's in when people come round.

Well, how about I stop looking at the mess, overgrown and untidy weeds and stop and look at the beauty that is there in spite of my neglect?  How about I enjoy the roses and the lavender and the poppies and give praise to my Creator who made them?

And how about I apply that to my life too?  How about I look at, see and enjoy the good things God has put there? The beauty that is there in spite of my sin and brokenness. And rejoice in the fact that God still wants to spend time in my garden and says he delights in me.