The Garden

I love gardens. I love flowers, I love bushes, I love trees, I love the fragrance they bring, and I even love leaves. I love everything about gardens. When I was a little girl, I always thought I've have a house out in the country with a beautiful flower garden. While I did have the house in the country, and I did have flowers...lots of them...it wasn't a garden, and it wasn't very pretty. But I love arboretums, and I love visiting the botanical garden. There's something calming, soothing, and relaxing about it. I love the chance to ride my bike around the botanical garden in Fayetteville. There's something about being in beautiful nature that reminds me of the creative God we serve, and the beauty he has given us.

Today, I stumbled across the Collingsworth Family's recording of In the Garden. It was just a piano arrangements, but I didn't need reminding of the words. I have them memorized.

I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses

And He walks with me, and He talks with me
And He tells me I am His own

That was it. I lost it.

I've been struggling for years with feeling like my faults and failures separate me from God forever and I will never be able to make it up to Him. I am His own? So reassuring and so calming to know that He waits for me to come! He wants to spend time with me and tell me I am His own!

And the joy we share
As we tarry there, none other has ever known

Joy. It's a concept I've preached on several times, but honestly, never really grasped for myself. Oh, I can define it. I can recognize it in others, but unfortunately, I can fake it. I never really took hold of the joy that available because honestly, I never felt worthy of it.

He speaks and the sound of His voice
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing

The birds hush? Around here, the birds don't hush for anything. They're loud! But even animals recognize the voice of God. It's true. All creation testifies. So why is it, that His greatest creation doesn't recognize His voice to see His hand at work? He created us in His image, and yet, all other creation recognizes the God of the universe.

And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing

Melody. I love to sing. I don't really have the opportunity at all anymore to sing publicly, and I miss it. The other day, my husband, while trying to comfort me said, "You can still sing in the car." He meant well. He really did. And I don't despise his words. But my husband likes to ride his bicycle...like 25 miles. Him telling me to sing in the car seemed to me like I should tell him that he could just ride my exercise bike in the dining room.  While I miss singing in church, and I miss telling a testimony in song, most of all, I realize that I can have the melody in my heart. As long as He is with me, He gives me a melody of love in my heart.

And He walks with me
And He talks with me
And He tells me I am His own
And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known