Cultivate Your Spiritual Garden Part I: Design & Structure

While visiting a beautiful, lush public garden, it’s easy to assume it has always been that way. But a mature garden takes years of tending. Starting with a design, structure and foundation. Planting seeds, seedlings and saplings. As well as faithful watering, weeding, pruning, trimming, and deadheading. Reflecting on these and many other lessons I have gleaned from gardening, I have learned that our time with God is less about keeping a list of rules and more like cultivating a garden over a lifetime.

 

In fact, my own personal garden is nowhere near the English Cottage Garden I hope it will be someday. But the stage that it is in has taken years of learning what kinds of plants and trees do best in my area and figuring out what works and what doesn’t. Basically, lots of trial and error. What’s worse, is that I have made a design, but failed to first build the structure. Instead, I have planted flowers, trees and other plants here and there, hoping to fill it in overtime.

 

Consequently, working backwards has not been successful. Small, tender plants dry out easier and get scorched by the sun. Not to mention, I have had to do a lot more weeding than would be necessary, because so much of the ground is bare and exposed to the elements, so weeds grow, well, like weeds. The most important lesson, however, has been to persevere, refusing to give up just because I don’t get the results that I want overnight.

 

Interesting enough, God himself didn’t go about creation willy-nilly. He had a plan in mind and created everything in a certain order with each layer building on another to ensure that each stage of creation would flourish in the right place and time. Finally, he created man last and placed him in a garden to work it and keep it (Genesis 2:15, ESV). With that in mind, I believe a garden is a perfect picture of what our time with God is like.

 

Therefore, throughout this series of articles we will learn about planning and pursuing our time with God in comparison with designing and cultivating a garden, which will include the following:

• Part I (this article): Design & Structure
• Part II: Plant Yourself in God’s Word
• Part III: Tend with Prayer
• Part IV: Supplements

 

Design and Structure

With the Master Gardener as our guide, let us design and cultivate the garden of our lives. He wants to walk with us and teach us what needs tending and watering, what needs to be pruned and deadheaded in our lives. He wants to show us where we need weeding, before the weeds become overgrown and take over our lives. Above all, he wants to teach us who he is, so we can be more like him. However, we will not see lasting results if we only meet with God here and there, that’s why a plan to be faithful is crucial.

 

Therefore, once we work out our design, or our plan, we then work on the structure to help protect us from the scorching sun and the storms of life. The structure consists of all the permanent things in the garden that give the garden order. This is our set time and place that helps to keep us on track. After our structure is in place, we start to build our life on the foundation, by planting ourselves in the rich, healthy soil of God’s word. Followed by the faithful tending and watering of prayer.

 

To get started, we will be answering six basic questions throughout this series: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? The Bible says, “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets. So he may run who reads it.” (Habakkuk 2:2b). When we write things down, they become a tangible part of our life. So, get out a piece of paper or an index card and write those questions along the left side and start filling in the answers.

 

Who? You.
What? Will meet with God.
When? Every day at (fill in time).
Where? (Fill in location, i.e. bedroom, kitchen table, “prayer closet,” etc.)
Why? To know God, in order to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind and love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:36-40).
How? Through daily Bible reading, study and prayer.

 

Once you fill it out, tuck it away in your Bible for easy access or put it next to your bed so you can see it every time you wake up and go to sleep as a daily reminder to press on (Philippians 3:14). Remember, as we grow and mature, our life will not look the same as it did when we started. So don’t get discouraged when you don’t see results overnight. As I mentioned before, beautiful gardens take time, dedication and hard work. If we persevere, and allow the Master Gardener to cultivate our souls, our lives will start to resemble a beautiful, mature garden — flourishing with the evidence of healthy fruit.

 

Decide When To Meet with God?

Therefore, first figure out the best time you can plan on meeting with God every day. It would be ideal if everyone could meet with God early in the morning and I would encourage you to do so. There are several benefits to waking up early including being rested and alert, decreasing the possibility of interruptions, and the ability to take your time. There are many inspiring, biblical examples about meeting with God in the morning, including this one from David,

 

“O Lord, In the morning you hear my voice, in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch” Psalm 5:3, ESV).

 

Or, one of my favorites,

 

“Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days” (Psalm 90:14, ESV).

 

Whether you have young children or not, be encouraged if the prospect of meeting with God in the morning sounds difficult or even impossible. I know I have felt that way at times, but I have learned ways to still meet with God. For instance, if my daughter happens to wake up while I’m spending time with God, I encourage her to “read” her Bible and to pray. At this age, she can’t read, but she can look at the pictures and start forming the habit in her own life. If that doesn’t work, I just include her in my “meeting with God.” I read the Bible out loud with her and pray with her. It’s a condensed version of what I would normally do, but I am still able to receive my daily bread. Moreover, keeping my commitment teaches her that my time with God is important to me. In turn, it will be important to her.

 

Our Heavenly Father knows we all come to him during various seasons of life and with different schedules. I would just encourage you to do whatever you need to do to keep your “appointment” with him. Wake up a half an hour earlier than usual if you need to. Or schedule a later time when you know you can give God your full time and attention. Get creative and figure out what works for you. Once the discipline of meeting with God becomes second nature, you don’t even have to think about it anymore, because it’s so much a part of your life the way a structure is a permanent part of your garden.

 

Decide Where To Meet with God

Furthermore, find a quiet place where you will already have everything you need, i.e. your Bible, journal, pen, highlighter, etc. Before you even get up in the morning you need to decide where this place is going to be. For me, it’s at my desk or the dining room table. It just seems easier to sit at a desk or table in order to write, highlight and have everything I need at hand. Occasionally, I like to go somewhere to have alone time with God for a “mini retreat,” like the nearby nature center.

 

At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter where we meet with God. He is everywhere. It’s not the place we choose that has any special significance, but it’s our commitment to meet with God when and where we can that matters. Afterall,  when we are faithful and consistent we start to see the fruit of our labor because that’s how God is able to help us to grow and mature, so do your best to cultivate this spiritual discipline like your life depends on it — because it does.

 

As we all know, not every day goes perfectly as planned. If necessary, you can make adjustments that will work better for you. Don’t beat yourself up if you miss a day or have to meet with God at a different time than you originally planned. The important thing is to faithfully meet with God with the desire to know him. In doing so, he becomes the Master Gardener of your life and helps you to grow into the beautiful, Christ-like woman you were intended to be.

 

 

*This article has been updated with links 11/10/2023