Hennie Symington

“But other people are like the seeds sown in good soil. They hear the message, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirty, some sixty, and some a hundred.” Mark 4:20

The new year has hardly begun but I venture to say that dark clouds are already gathering on the horizon. What has become of our new year’s resolutions? How many of them have already fallen by the way. Surely there must be a way to avoid disappointment failed resolutions and broken promises?

There is! Start a sacred garden in your heart. But how do you begin when you’ve lost touch with your inner landscape a long time ago? Begin by taking stock of what’s growing in your garden. Look inwards and start with the weeds. And while you’re at it, enter into a dialogue with your soul where you not only engage with God but take on the thicket of briars which stand in the way of sanctification. Our lives are overgrown with alien and toxic plants which not only poison our inner being but also those closest to us. Our lack of empathy, our failure to love, negative thoughts, bad habits, and meanness – the list is endless – turn our lives into a jungle of regrets and failed dreams.

Why not use the new year to cultivate a different kind of garden which could help to make your spiritual environment a better place for all. For every weed you pull up, plant a beautiful plant. You don’t even have to wait for the right season. God’s season is always. And the season is now! And before you can say “poison ivy” your garden will be growing like a garden of Eden with enough flowers and plenty of bouquets to hand out to all. And in stead of being strangled by thorns and briars, you could soar lightly like a dandelion over God’s creation.

Prayer: God, it was you who showed us how to plant the first tree and to garden. We couldn’t get it right the first time and are still struggling to get our gardens together. Thank you for sending your Son to help us till the lands and sow the seeds. Amen