Garden of Grace

The Eyes of God Are Watching

On the Cutting Edge

Whether slicing the line with a garden shovel or running my spiritual fingers over the sharp blade of the two-edged Sword, I have always enjoyed being on the cutting edge of life.

For those who are willing to dig a little deeper than the surface, gardens are a great place to tunnel into a wealth of wisdom that cannot be exhausted. It is a living classroom full of hidden treasure, if you can handle getting a little dirt underneath your spiritual fingernails.

Last summer, with the experienced voice of my papa guiding me, I learned how to cut a clean edge around the perimeter of the garden. Guide posts, with a string stretched taught between them, were necessary for accuracy in achieving a straight line. Papa, a seasoned gardener, patiently oversaw my work, pulling out the freshly severed clods of sod and tossing them into the tractor wagon. Occasionally, he would correct a crooked dig and help me reposition my shovel so that I would stay on track.

As we made our way around the border, Papa began to explain the purpose behind this process, which went much deeper than aesthetic appearance. I listened intently as he described in detail how the shovel severs the roots and creates a natural boundary that hinders the grass from creeping in and taking over the garden. Without this preventative measure, the surrounding lawn would slowly and subtly close in on the garden, eating up valuable ground space intended only for produce.

As we chipped away at the task, it didn't take long for my mind to travel from the physical actions to the spiritual applications involved. A multitude of Bible verses swarmed through my thoughts, adding eternal dimension to this mundane job. “Keep thy heart with all diligence: for out of it are the issues of life” and “Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind” echoed through my heart as I wedged my shovel into the dirt one more time. (Psalm 4:23, Romans 12:2)

If we are willing to care so meticulously for a garden, which has no significance in the light of eternity, how much more attention and diligence ought we to give to the God-assigned duty of guarding our hearts? Yet somehow it is so much easier to notice grass creeping over the border of a garden than to spot sin slinking over the perimeter of our hearts.

This distinct mark of separation does not just “happen” at the moment of salvation, any more than a clean cut edge just appears around a garden. It is only as the Holy Spirit begins to lay down the plumb line of the Word that we start to see where to slice the line. It is not enough to put a little space between ourselves and the world. Because the world is actively and aggressively trying to squeeze us into its wayward mold, we must consistently make a concerted effort to sever all ties with sin and make a clean cut with fleshly lusts that war against our souls.

How I wish this procedure yielded lifetime results! But like a garden, it requires regular maintenance if you don't want to lose precious ground. It may seem a bit tedious and tiresome at first, but the fruit will be far sweeter and more satisfying than any earthly harvest.­

– Proverbs 22:6

“Staking it out” took on a whole new meaning this afternoon as I worked alongside my Papa. We had twenty tomato plants that promised to be a total flop if we did not provide them with proper support.

After gathering an armful of supplies, we marched out to the garden to begin this delicate task. Papa tackled the first few tomato plants. He showed me how to snug a stake up to the base of each respective plant and drive it into the dirt with a small sledge hammer. Soon, it was my turn to take a swing at it. One by one, Papa handed me the wooden stakes as we made our way down the two rows, making sure each one was firmly planted in the ground.

Then, taking a handful of inch-wide cloth strips we had shredded from an old sheet, Papa carefully demonstrated how to secure the main branches to the post in a way that would help the plant stay in an upright position. This was not a fast procedure. These plants had a mind of their own! Although we used the same tools, each one required a slightly different approach. Some plants needed two ties, others more. But no two plants were alike.

First we had to consider each one's natural bent. I learned quite quickly not to force any of the branches against their will. “Let it find its own path,” Papa encouraged again and again. Our job was not to change the way these plants were made, but rather to gently guide them toward the light. Our goal was to keep the precious fruit that would soon grow, from stooping down into the dirt and rotting or being ravaged by bugs.

But this was only the beginning. These ties we had just put in place, would need to be adjusted as often as every few days to allow for the growing needs of the plants. Otherwise what was intended to be a help to them, would become a hindrance, holding them back from reaching their full potential.

As Papa patiently talked me through this painstaking process (no pun intended), puzzle pieces of a different kind began to come together in my mind, and truth of a greater value started to emerge. The special attention we were investing in these little tomato plants concealed a spiritual analogy that pointed to the parental prescription revealed in
Proverbs 22:6. Although the process may differ, the guiding principles have striking similarities.

Just as these budding plants needed to be deliberately “tied up,” children must be diligently “trained up,” if they are to grow towards the living Light and escape the depths of depravity that ruin and rot men's souls. First the solid stake of God's unchanging Word must be driven deep into the soil of their hearts while they are young and tender, and must become the standard by which all other thoughts, ideas, inventions, and philosophies are measured. But to stop there, is to stop short of success.

Without ties of truth strategically fastened about the heart, a child cannot help but grovel in the folly of youth. Children do not naturally gravitate towards the guidepost of Godly wisdom. Proverbs plainly states that “foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child” and that only “the rod of correction will drive it far from him.” (Proverbs 22:15) The word “bound” literally means “to tie” or “knit.” If folly is that deeply woven into a child's nature, we can conclude that it is no small undertaking to root it out and replace it with a hunger for holiness.

Yet changing this wayward bent is anything but easy. It is a very delicate transformation that requires a great deal of time and patience to perform. Undue force will only leave scars and even snap the tender limbs of a child's character; and that which was meant to direct can easily destroy if wrongly applied. Gentle but firm restraints, guided by sound judgment, must be implemented to check the rebel passions and foolish inclinations of youth and to protect the precious fruit of Godly virtue as it begins to blossom.

These “ties” must be watched closely and adjusted regularly to allow for and perpetuate the desired growth. This is where a tremendous amount of wisdom and discretion is in order. A parent must learn to discern the individual needs of each child and adapt their approach to discipline accordingly. For like tomato plants, no two children are exactly alike. The same ties that were intended to protect and provide stability, can stifle and stunt growth if proper care is not taken. But when tethered with love and bound by mercy, “ties of truth” create a stable and secure environment where children are set free to flourish in the fruits of righteousness.