It’s 6:30 on a sunny Thursday morning and I’m sitting with a cup of coffee on the deck in my peaceful, somewhat secluded backyard.
There’s a slight breeze moving the wind chimes, water flowing from the antique pump into the fish tank is bubbling, the birds are singing, especially Jenny Wren, and the flowers blooming in my garden are beautiful. Mallards and squirrels are eating cracked corn at the “Critter Café” and a couple of rabbits are playing a game of chase, before munching on my Hosta!
Early morning is my favorite time in the garden and it’s my favorite place to be. It looks refreshed from yesterday’s heat and it’s where I go to meet God. “I come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses … And He talks with me, and He walks with me, and He tells me I am his own…” (In the Garden, C. Austin Miles 1912) He restores my soul.
I like everything about my garden: the work to create and maintain it, the aroma of the soil, watching each spring for the perennials to push through, selecting and planting a variety of annuals and waiting for them to grow and bloom, the kaleidoscope of color. I think my garden is beautiful. I can’t even imagine what the Garden of Eden must have been like!
It’s so easy for me to feel God’s presence when I’m working in the garden, digging in the dirt and getting my hands dirty. It’s a time when I can separate myself from the strife, the busyness, the constant noise and the problems of the world. It’s a time to refresh, reflect and connect with God. A time to observe and enjoy the blessings of nature. It’s my “quiet place” where I can be refreshed.
When I leave my garden, the world has not changed: there’s still strife, the busyness, the constant noise and the problems. But, I’ve been refreshed and reassured that God is ultimately in control. He promises, “I will be with you …. I will not fail you or abandon you. Be strong and courageous …” (Joshua 1:5b-6a. NLT)
Where’s your quiet place? The place you go to connect with God and be refreshed. Refreshment comes when we spend time in God’s presence. Jesus invited his disciples … that’s you and me … to “come with me by yourself to a quiet place and get some rest.” (Mark 6:31, NIV)
– Karen Timmerman 06/09/2020