One Day, in the late fall, I was out trimming the shrubbery along the front of my house. It was a job that I should have finished several weeks ago. Now the miss cuts that I made will not have time to re-grow and will be visible until the spring re-growth. As I cut, I mumbled to myself about retiring to a house with so much yard upkeep. An acre of grass to mow, the leaves from 29 trees to rake and bag, and, of course, 150 feet of shrubbery (front, side, and back) to keep shaped to perfection; what was I thinking?
I am not complaining and I am not having second thoughts about our selection of this place. The effort involved in tending the grounds keeps me active and gets me out in the fresh air. I guess I could hire someone to take care of the yard or I could have retired to one of those places where all the work is done for you, even the cooking and dishwashing, or I could have retired to a resort area and lived a life of total leisure. However, that really does not fit my temperament. I do a lot of reading and some writing; that keeps my mind busy and I hope nimble. The yard work and my shop keep my body active and nimble but also produces some aches and pains. The aches tell me that I am still alive.
As I proceeded with the trimming, a few aches developed, a few bugs hovered about, and although the weather was mild, I began to perspire. However, I was intent on keeping the cuts straight and in finishing up while the light was still good, so these were only minor irritations. As I continued to cut, a verse from chapter 2 of Genesis popped into my mind.
- Genesis 2:15 KJV
or
- The LORD took the man and put him into the Garden of Eden to work andtake care of it. - Genesis 2:15 NIV
If I understand this verse from Genesis, even in paradise, Man had “yard work” to do. Apparently, theirs was not a life of total leisure. In addition to taking care of the garden, Adam was also responsible for naming all the animals (Gen. 2:19-29) So, why should I fret about my little yard.
I think that there are lessons to be learned here. Otherwise, why would the Spirit have brought this verse to mind? When we enter the Christian Life by accepting Christ we should not expect to sit around just singing and listening to good sermons. There is that thing called “The Great Commission”. That commission views the world as God’s garden and assigns us to tend it. So we should find out what and where our assignment in God’s garden is and work it with all of our heart, mind, and body.
We often think of Heaven as being like the Garden of Eden. It will be a beautiful place and it will be filled with the presence of God. I think that just as in Eden and in the Christian life, God will have assignments for us in heaven. I have no idea what those assignments could be, but it will be great working for the Lord of the Universe alongside our Savior!
Copyright 2012© Willie E. Weaver
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