In August every year, I begin to see signs of neglect in neighborhood gardens. Potted plants look brown and shriveled from lack of water. Weeds are the size of small bushes. Shrubbery is straggly from lack of pruning.
We all like the vibrant growth of spring, the anticipation of fresh vegetables and brilliant blooms. We crowd garden centers, purchasing seeds, perennials, annuals, trees and shrubs. Months later, however, we forget to have someone maintain our plants and pots while we vacation. Maybe we become overwhelmed by the amount of work a lovely and fruitful garden entails. Or we become distracted by other things and don’t tend to what we planted. Whatever the reason, many gardens suffer from the lack of attention and consistent care they need to look their best.
As sea captain Sir Francis Drake said, “There must be a beginning of every matter, but the continuing unto the end yields the true glory.” And I would add, yields the most beautiful gardens.
Tending our gardens is like caring for our souls. To create a healthy environment where we mature spiritually, we must fight the tendency to neglect our souls. Consistent time and attention will nourish our growth. This means we notice what is currently going on in our hearts and minds. Being attentive is important, but consistent follow through and action makes the real difference. We first attend, and then we tend.
Here are a few gardening tips for nourishing your personal well-being and spiritual growth:
Remove the weeds
Routinely remove the weeds. If you don’t, you will regret it. Weeds eventually produce seeds, which birth hundreds of new weeds. Spiritual weeds reproduce just as quickly as garden weeds. Feelings like resentment, worry, jealousy, meanness or self-centeredness can quickly grow out of control. They rob our joy and the energy we need to be loving to others. The consequences can be problems in your relationships or your health, both of which take time and attention to remedy.
Feed and water your soul
Failure to water a potted plant means it will eventually dry up and die. Likewise, your soul will dwindle and shrivel without self-care. You can nourish your well-being by making time to rest and by renewing yourself, reading Scripture and talking with God. Such activities promote deeper spiritual and emotional roots and a greater soul satisfaction. Just like fertilizing a plant, you won’t see personal growth occur quickly. But over time, there will be a dramatic difference that is noticeable to those around you.
Prune straggly growth
Recently, I trimmed back a basket of calibrachoa. It was a bit difficult at first, since I had to remove pretty flowers. That momentary discomfort was necessary. Pruning was the only way to keep the stems from getting straggly, heavy, and eventually breaking. If I hadn’t pruned when I did, I would have had a basket of stringy greens and no flowers.
What are the good things in your life that need to be cut back to promote your overall soul beauty?
Although it’s easy to tell the difference between a neglected garden and a well-tended one, we still manage to deceive ourselves into thinking what we don’t do today won’t affect our spiritual growth in the future. Don’t be fooled. There will be consequences, some of which may be tough to handle. Consistent attention and attending brings out the best in both gardens and souls.
Time for reflection: What is the condition of your soul? Have you taken time to notice what is going on? What needs tending in your spiritual garden? What is dying or decaying? What are you ignoring that will multiply? What can you feed your soul so it will not get depleted? Attend. Tend. And reap the benefits!
