A humble heartsease in the garden of the Lord…
Philippians 4:11-12 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
There is a story of a king, who had a beautiful garden with trees and plants of all kind. One morning, the king took a stroll out to his garden and found everything sad and dying. He asked the majestic oak that stood next to the gates what the problem was. The oak was depressed because it was not tall and beautiful like the pine. The pine was singing the blues because it could not bear grapes like the vine, and so decided to die. The vine was fed up of life because it could not even stand erect, and have as fine fruit as the peaches. The geranium was heart broken and full of tears because it was not fragrant like the rose; and so on every tree and plant in the garden.
Amidst all this turmoil and sadness, there stood a heartsease, as cheerful and hearty as ever. The king was surprised and was curious to know how the little heartsease could be full of joy in the middle of such gloom. The heartsease answered, “My Lord, I am not disheartened even a bit, because I know if you wanted an oak, or a peach or a rose, you would have planted one. I knew you wanted a heartsease, and so I am determined to be the best little heartsease that I can be.
How often have we (me included in the “we”…) forgotten to count our blessings as we were busy counting the blessings of others? So eager and anxious to list out all that we lack…. God asked us to love our neighbors; but we went one step ahead…we forgot to love our neighbors, but are selfless in loving and desiring our neighbor’s blessings…:-)
Timothy 6:6 says But godliness with contentment is great gain.
To be contented with what we are and what we have is the biggest blessing one can have. In Philippians 4:11-13, Paul urges about the importance of being content in all situations… to be content and to be grateful… and to look upto the Lord who manages all situations for us in accordance with His perfect plans…that’s what we are to do…
If we look carefully, we can see that the people of Israel is our own reflection in many ways; like Israelites, we too very well know that we have a God who will never forsake us; but again, one moment of disappointment, and there vanishes our memories of a loving God… Our blessings are fast and abundant, and our grumblings even faster and even more abundant… In Exodus 16:7 and 8, Moses warns the Israelites when they start to grumble – “….for that the LORD heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? Your murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD”.
Ah, now pause….isn’t this what we too are doing? How fast are we to grumble when things don’t go our way? Are we not disappointed when we realize that we are just heartseases and not pines and oaks in the garden of life? But God says not to…Look at His promises:
Hebrews 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
When we have our gaze fixed on the Lord, we can be well contented with His plans for us. Not our ways, not our word, and not our plans….but His alone……and that gives us the grace to accept His will with joy in our hearts. He is the gardener; He planted us, and everyday He is giving us water and sunlight and manure so as to help us to bloom into the flowers He intended us to be; He is the potter, and all we need to do is to be the clay in His hands. He knows exactly what He wants us to be, and when we surrender, He will help us to be the best heartsease we can ever be;
Lord, let me be contented with all that you shape me to be…. Be it a heartsease or an oak, but to be planted in Your garden and for Your glory….to be used by You….to grow as tall as You allow me to….to be as fragrant as You wanted…and to be the best that I can be for You Lord…. as a humble heartsease for Your glory Lord…
There is a story of a king, who had a beautiful garden with trees and plants of all kind. One morning, the king took a stroll out to his garden and found everything sad and dying. He asked the majestic oak that stood next to the gates what the problem was. The oak was depressed because it was not tall and beautiful like the pine. The pine was singing the blues because it could not bear grapes like the vine, and so decided to die. The vine was fed up of life because it could not even stand erect, and have as fine fruit as the peaches. The geranium was heart broken and full of tears because it was not fragrant like the rose; and so on every tree and plant in the garden.
Amidst all this turmoil and sadness, there stood a heartsease, as cheerful and hearty as ever. The king was surprised and was curious to know how the little heartsease could be full of joy in the middle of such gloom. The heartsease answered, “My Lord, I am not disheartened even a bit, because I know if you wanted an oak, or a peach or a rose, you would have planted one. I knew you wanted a heartsease, and so I am determined to be the best little heartsease that I can be.
How often have we (me included in the “we”…) forgotten to count our blessings as we were busy counting the blessings of others? So eager and anxious to list out all that we lack…. God asked us to love our neighbors; but we went one step ahead…we forgot to love our neighbors, but are selfless in loving and desiring our neighbor’s blessings…:-)
Timothy 6:6 says But godliness with contentment is great gain.
To be contented with what we are and what we have is the biggest blessing one can have. In Philippians 4:11-13, Paul urges about the importance of being content in all situations… to be content and to be grateful… and to look upto the Lord who manages all situations for us in accordance with His perfect plans…that’s what we are to do…
If we look carefully, we can see that the people of Israel is our own reflection in many ways; like Israelites, we too very well know that we have a God who will never forsake us; but again, one moment of disappointment, and there vanishes our memories of a loving God… Our blessings are fast and abundant, and our grumblings even faster and even more abundant… In Exodus 16:7 and 8, Moses warns the Israelites when they start to grumble – “….for that the LORD heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? Your murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD”.
Ah, now pause….isn’t this what we too are doing? How fast are we to grumble when things don’t go our way? Are we not disappointed when we realize that we are just heartseases and not pines and oaks in the garden of life? But God says not to…Look at His promises:
Hebrews 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
When we have our gaze fixed on the Lord, we can be well contented with His plans for us. Not our ways, not our word, and not our plans….but His alone……and that gives us the grace to accept His will with joy in our hearts. He is the gardener; He planted us, and everyday He is giving us water and sunlight and manure so as to help us to bloom into the flowers He intended us to be; He is the potter, and all we need to do is to be the clay in His hands. He knows exactly what He wants us to be, and when we surrender, He will help us to be the best heartsease we can ever be;
Lord, let me be contented with all that you shape me to be…. Be it a heartsease or an oak, but to be planted in Your garden and for Your glory….to be used by You….to grow as tall as You allow me to….to be as fragrant as You wanted…and to be the best that I can be for You Lord…. as a humble heartsease for Your glory Lord…
yippeeee! its working pi!:)))
ReplyDeletebut those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:31
God's word is True...our hopes are not in vain!
God has his own plan for each one of us.. as u said, just surrounder ourselves and trust him.
ReplyDeleteIf he is for us who can be against us ?