Before the heat of the 90 + day set in I spent a couple hours gardening; that is, harassing the weeds enough to set them back a week or so. Snapdragons, Petunia, Vincas, Sunflowers, Elephant Ears and tomatoes are all coming along. Salmon colored Daylilies are at their peak while Cone Flowers are hitting their stride. Easter Lilies have finished blooming and the Surprise Lilies wait for the end of July to leap out of the ground like Flamingo feet in the air.
God set us humans in a garden. But gardeners should be under no allusion that we can recreate Eden, though we strive to do so. We garden between Eden and the new heaven and new earth where the water of life flows bright as crystal from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city. On both sides of the river the tree of life grows with its twelve kinds of fruit and the leaves providing… healing. (Rev. 22:1-2)
The garden is the scene of our Fall, but also of our resurrection for it was Jesus who not only prayed in a garden, but was buried and rose to new life in a garden.
One year I expressed to my neighbor June Launhardt that things didn’t turn out as I had hoped. June said, “Well that give us something to work for next year.” So, we garden in hope according to the promise of Genesis 8:22, “As long as the earth lasts, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, they will never cease.”