Light My Path Ministries

Posts Tagged ‘Genesis’

Spring beckons the farm girl in me to come out so once again the gardener has emerged. Every April and May grasses and weeds attempt to take control of the flower beds provoking my perennials to struggle for recognition amid the horticultural mayhem. Ridding those beds of weeds and grasses is a tedious chore that I wish only had to be done once in my lifetime! But to every gardener’s dismay it is a chore that requires steadfast diligence and a determination that beauty will prevail. Every time I do this necessary gardening task it reminds me to steadfastly “cultivate my life garden”.
One such life garden lesson that I unearthed from this year’s bed-cleaning was that weeds and grasses not only look ugly on the surface of the soil but they embed themselves underneath the dirt, out of sight, lethally entwining themselves around the roots of my beautiful perennials and annuals! Even though my flowering beauties look healthy and thriving, I know that once the heat and drought of summer sets in those plants will quickly be robbed of moisture and nourishment by those pesky weeds and grasses that co-habit the underground berth of my beautiful plants’ root system.
God put Man in His garden (Genesis 2:8, 15-17) to care and work it. And as we read on in Genesis sin tangled itself into the life of man, casting him (us) into the perpetual role of pain-staking laborer. Tending our life garden requires vigilant pruning and weeding in all areas of our lives. Just like my annuals and perennials appear to be healthy and thriving now, so can my life appear to look swell on the surface but deep down sin has taken root and it will be only a matter of time before it’s in plain sight, spoiling my ability to purvey the fragrance of Christ (II Corinthians 2:14-16).
So, diligently cultivate your life garden. It’s impossible to destroy every weed, but we can definitely control their propensity to hide the beauty of Christ in our lives. Dig deep; you never know what you might unearth.

As we write our 14^th study guide, Connie and I are thinking very deeply about the book of Genesis and how it relates to our 21^st century lives.  For the next few weeks, we are going to sharing some thoughts from the very first book of the Bible. 

In my house sits a very old table and buffet.  It belonged to my husband’s grandparents.  This table and buffet were one of the first pieces of furniture they bought when they were married.  My husband remembers sitting at the table when he was a young boy.  As a child, my mother-in-law ate supper at this table and pulled dishes out of the buffet.  When I pull a chair up to the table I am sitting down at a tangible piece of our family history.  When I pull dishes out of the buffet, I am part of a long line of Taylor women who have been hospitable.  This table and buffet help build my identity – who I am and who I want to be.  The tie me to the past and give me courage to face the future.

For a Christian, a beloved child of God, Genesis serves the exact same purpose.  When I read the creation account and think about what God created for me from the very beginning, I stand in awe.  God created this entire world for me!  He made plans from the beginning – plans to give me place to live, plans to communicate with me, plans for me to prosper, plans for me to have work to do, plans for me to come home to live with Him eternally.  When I carefully read and meditate on the words at the start of Genesis I know so much about who I am and who God wants me to be.