Devotional 4-14-11

Ever since the Memory Garden was built at Johnson Memorial, I have tried to make it grow and thrive. The Memory Garden to me is so important because it was established to remember all the loved ones that have been a part of our church from time immemorial. I have planted many plants there and most of them have struggled to survive. Was it because of poor soil, lack of water, or neglect after original planting? Scott and I amended the soil, mulched the plants, and watered them, but they never did well. The garden was supposed to be a place where we could go and reflect on the people who have made our church what it is today, and I could not find anything that would grow and flower there until last fall. I finally planted winter pansies. Winter pansies are such a delicate looking plant. They really do not display the attributes of a species that could survive freezing temperatures. To my amazement those little flowers bloomed even in our harshest cold this winter and even when covered with snow. This spring they are even more beautiful than they were when I planted them in the fall. Not many members of our church have seen those pansies. I know they are there, just like I know that God takes cares of us, and we do not know it. If God can make frail little pansies grow in the harshest of times, what else can He do for us that we do notice? We daily take advantage of his many blessings that we pay no attention to. I worked to find the right plant for the Memory Garden, but I know he finally helped me to make them grow through all the efforts of finding the answer to my wishes for our Garden. It is there for those who can only find access to our sanctuary because they can no longer climb our steps or are on their last journey into their church. Have you seen those pansies? They will be there until about May then I will try to find a plant that will survive the summer. Is my seeking the right plant for our garden not unlike our seeking of Christ? We are constantly trying to find the answer to what will work to make our life what we want it to be, but we have to try out a lot of things before we discover that He is the way for us to bloom and flourish even if nobody sees it.

Jean Ramsey