Religion of the Garden Variety

Religion of the Garden Variety

Gardeners need companions.  Because there are some intangible variables in the process of farming, the farmer must have at least one companion with whom he consults.  Their rapport gives him the “reality check,” support and encouragement that he needs.  It also challenges him to cultivate the requisite faithfulness and discipline to obtain a bountiful harvest.

Likewise in spiritual matters, one needs a companion to develop personally and grow spiritually.  The “twelve step” communities refer to such a person as a “sponsor” who supports you in your quest for spiritual progress by honest and open challenge, “speaking the truth in love.”  Should you find yourself entangled in a legal dilemma, you need legal counsel.  Your attorney will provide you with confidential advice on resolving your predicament.  In the spiritual garden of life, we usually need the nurturing support of a mentor.  Actually, there are some challenges that we face that we cannot meet alone.  We delude ourselves in thinking otherwise! 

The Lord validates this spiritual maxim in His request and need of companionship from three disciples.  Jesus asks Peter, James and John to “sit here while I go on ahead to pray.”  Then, he reveals the purpose of the trip to Gethsemane.  “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death.  Stay here and watch with me.” 

The seeds for Jesus’ death would be sown in the garden of Gethsemane.  Here, he would totally surrender his will to the Father Almighty.  Moreover, Jesus unconditionally accepts his earthly and eternal destiny.  Religion of the garden variety possesses these important spiritual characteristics of surrender to and acceptance of God’s “good, pleasing and perfect” will.

Self-denial is the major prerequisite to peace of surrender to a clear discernment of God’s will.  Personal willfulness impedes any progress toward accomplishing God’s plan.  In Luke 9:23, the Lord says, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me.”  Simply stated, as disciples of the Lord Jesus, we willingly crucify our wills.  God transforms ashes of our personal preferences and decomposed material of our self-centered fears into seeds that He plants in our spiritual gardens.  To be sure, a seed must die and fall into the ground in order to bear fruit (John 12:24).  Spiritual fruit emerge from the seeds of self-denial.  Through the death of our wills, God resurrects His will in us. 

Beyond necessity of companionship and annihilation of self-will, in Gethsemane, the Lord prays for holy submission to the perfect will of the Father Almighty.  “My Father!  If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me.  Yet, I want your will, not mine.”  Keep in mind; he prays these words thrice.  They are the quintessence of “religion of the garden variety.”  In Gethsemane, we find the fundamental basis for personal development and spiritual growth.  Submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ is the soil upon which all spiritual progress and discipleship development materializes.

Recall the previous two weeks’ worth of analogies between farming and spiritual growth.  The cultivation of garden variety religion extends beyond the monotonous practice of rituals.  Instead, it is a vibrant way of life that begins with an interdependent relationship with God.  It is a desire to yield a lifetime of spiritual fruit: faithfulness, gentleness, goodness, kindness, joy, love, patience, peace and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).  It is the daily and lifelong choice to live to the honor and glory of Almighty God rather than the pursuit of selfish ambition and the satisfaction of self-centered preferences.  The process commences with the willingness to turn over the soil of your mind and heart.  Then, with open mindedness, you allow the Holy Spirit changes your character through the process of fertilizing this soil with divine guidance and wisdom.  In the diligent practice of weeding, watering and tilling which spiritually translates into prayer, Bible study and daily quiet time, you manage your spiritual garden.  In the fullness of time, God grows a bountiful spiritual harvest within a believer.

I pray you utilize the fruitful images of gardening found throughout the Bible to enhance your relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.  Furthermore, I pray that you will earnestly strive for a depth of genuine spirituality that develops from a sustained period of growth and reflection in your own garden of Gethsemane.  In so doing, you will find true “religion of the garden variety.”