Knowing the Gardener (Part One)

Part One: The Gardener Created You

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the Gardener” (John 15:1)

Do you have a green thumb? Sadly, I do not, but I keep trying.

Meanwhile, everything my grandmother (Nonnie) touched flourished. She had a peach tree in her backyard that bore beautiful peaches every year. Nonnie used the fruit for peach preserves and delicious cobbler. There were also pecan trees and blooming plants in the back and I always wondered, How does she do this? I thought some of her gift would pass on to me when she died, but to this day, plants have a short life span at my house.

However last year, I birthed a bumper crop of tomatoes because of some help from my son, Kyle, and his soon-to-be fiancé, Bailey. I am thankful the two of them are coming back again this year to help me out. I remember the feeling when I looked at the first tomatoes on the vine.

“Wow! Aren’t they beautiful? These actually grew in my garden!”

I think that’s the way the Holy Gardener looks at us. He says, “Look at her. Isn’t she beautiful? You know I formed her from a tiny seed in her mother’s womb. She is my design.”

I know the heavenly Gardener, God, put this nerdy, sports-loving church lady together. He cultivated me to be who I am today. He’s strung the DNA intricately to create you as well, just the way he wanted you.

Are you critical of your appearance? When we say negative things about the way we look, we are telling the Creator that we don’t like his work. “Maybe a little less around the middle, please.”

We need to quit being so hard on ourselves. The Gardener has molded us and created us just as he wanted us. Remember the following verses:

“Is He not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you?” (Deuteronomy 32:6).

“Yet you LORD are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand” (Isaiah 64:8).

Today, let’s not question the Gardener’s creation. Instead, let’s learn more about the Gardener by jumping into his Word and taking in a little plant food from the One who created us. And let’s not forget to thank Him for how he designed us, perfectly for His purpose.

Dear Father, we confess that we have not always been so complimentary of your creation. Help us to appreciate who you designed us to be. At the same time, we pray that we’ll take care of this intricate creation out of respect for you. Thank you for life, for the breath you give us and for our beautiful design. In the name of Jesus we pray, AMEN.