God's Garden

 by Macy Johnson

“Then God said, ‘Let the land produce vegetation:

seed-bearing plants and trees on the land

that bear fruit with seed in it,

according to their various kinds.’

And it was so.”

(Genesis 1:11 NIV)

 

My husband and I like to sit on our deck in the afternoon and watch hummingbirds and butterflies swarm around the monster-sized Lantanas nearby. I loved these plants as a child. The different color petals on the same flower enticed me to create tiny bouquets.

 

Jeff told me deer don’t eat Lantanas, so he plants them all over our yard. He lets the deer gobble up the Mexican petunias and even allows them to mow down the monkey grass to a nub. Animals are God’s creation and have as much right to His garden as we do. Our yard must think it is a deer feeding ground.

 

Butterflies, wasps, hummingbirds, and other winged creatures remind me of a circus act. I watched a butterfly with a torn wing hover over an Azalea plant and dive between other insects.

 

Our granddaughter likes to name God’s creatures and point out their imperfections. While we were camping at Mistletoe State Park, she befriended Mr. Nuts, a squirrel with a hole in his ear. Mr. Nuts came to our site often to request scraps from Dahlia’s hand.

 

The tomato growing season is winding down and my husband has excavated his plants. Others I have spoken to have also enjoyed the last of their crop. The weather played a role in the poor produce this year, but we are thankful for the fruits we did enjoy. I have a friend who lives on a farm in Missouri and posts Facebook pictures of their luscious bounty. God reveals his presence everywhere!

 

I will rejoice in the beauty of God’s gardens all around me. I hope you will, too!