Garden Devotions
On God, Grief, and Growth
by
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Garden Shoes
They sit by the back door expectantly, waiting for me to slip them on. Worn out, worn in, scuffed, muddy, and comfortable, these are my garden shoes. These shoes are as important to my garden as the fencing and the bird netting.
This morning, I slipped them on as I headed to the garden. The yard, covered in dew, strewn with grass clippings, muddy with yesterday’s rain, riddled with thorny plants and industrious bees, can be a messy place. Inside my shoes, my feet are dry, clean, and safe.
Without these shoes, dedicated to this less-than-glamorous role in life, either my feet would be in peril, or my fancier shoes would be.
Their appearance in no way diminishes their importance - quite the opposite. It is their worn out, worn in, scruffy, muddy, comfortable countenance that gives them value and makes them perfect for the role of garden shoe.
But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. 2 Corinthians 12:24-25.
Has God assigned you a less-than-glamorous role in life? Are you worn out, scruffy, and covered in yard debris? Do you feel like an inferior member? Haven’t we all felt that way at some point?
Maybe your infant has just thrown up on your one clean shirt, or your mom has wandered down the street in her pajamas, looking for the dog that died three years ago. Maybe the dishes have piled up in the sink and toilet backed up in the bathroom. Maybe your boss has trashed your work and told you to start again, again. Maybe your body has failed you, leaving only wishes with no option of action.
You have a very crucial role in the kingdom of God. You are every bit as much a part of God’s garden as the ministers and the missionaries.
In a large house, there are utensils not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for special use, some for ordinary. 2 Timothy 2:20.
All are valuable. Could you imagine using your silver goblet to measure flour? The silver goblet may be shiny and precious and placed where all can see, but the plastic measuring cup is far more useful, more functional, more necessary, and more important to daily life.
I wouldn’t wear my garden shoes to a ladies’ luncheon, but I depend on them.
And Jesus tells us that God values the less glamorous servants highly.
Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all. Mark 9:35. (Also Matthew 20:26, Luke 22:26.)
Maybe in the tables-turned, topsy-turvy Kingdom of Heaven, God will give my garden shoes the place of honor.
Maybe in the tables-turned, topsy-turvy kingdom of Heaven, God will give the parent, the caregiver, the housekeeper, the worker, and the invalid seats of honor.
So the last will be first, and the first will be last. Matthew 20:16. (Also Matthew 19:30.)
If you are feeling like a worn-out pair of garden shoes today, take heart. If we are following Jesus, He will give us the work He needs us to do, glamorous or not. His Spirit within us will make us “dedicated and useful to the owner of the house, ready for every good work.” (2 Timothy 2:21.)
My garden shoes wait patiently for me to slip them on. Just a little walk out to the garden, around and through it, then back inside. Job done; they rest. How happy these shoes make me, doing their little job so well. I do not see their age, their misshapen body, their dirty exterior covered in yard debris; I see their faithful, useful service.
Well done, good and faithful servant, You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master. Matthew 25:21.
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About the Book
God’s love and life’s hardships are evident in our backyard gardens. From the transformation of seeds, through battles with weeds, to the use of the fruit, gardens are an apt metaphor for the Christian life. Betsy Davies walks us through the seasons and the lessons she learns through each of them. No matter what is happening in her garden - transformation, growth, weeds, predators, fruit, or no fruit - Betsy relates how they reflect scripture and what we can learn about the nature of God and his love for us.
Betsy also shares her struggles to garden alone after her husband’s death. Together they planted, tended, and harvested gardens for thirty years. Her grief and her efforts to continue the garden are poignant reminders of God’s call for us to persevere.
You don’t need to be a gardener to relate to the stories Betsy tells. If you have ever planted a seed, watered a plant, or picked a flower you are aware of the wonder evident in growing plants. If you have ever sat under a tree you can related to God’s providence through nature. Join Betsy as she shares what she has learned in the garden.
In her new book Garden Devotions, Betsy Davies gives readers inspiring paths to growth through her experiences in tilling the soil and relating that to enriching words from Scripture. I was encouraged and rewarded by her analogies, and I think you will be as well.
—Etta Wilson, Agent and Editor
Recently, I stumbled across the phrase, “Seeds for Growth,” and could not imagine a more fitting depiction for “Garden Devotions”. If you are willing to be challenged to grow in your faith, be uncomfortable, a bit achy, messy, and dirty, then you have stumbled into the perfect garden! Thank you, Betsy, for this inspiring devotional which has meant more than you can possibly know to so many!
—Ellie Billington, Elder, First Presbyterian Church, Nashville, TN
About the Author
Betsy Davies lives beside a creek in Brentwood, Tennessee. She began writing a weekly devotional about her garden after her husband died. They had gardened together for thirty years; she is now learning to garden without him. Betsy’s weekly devotionals combine her love of God with her love of gardening. You can find them at www.thevictory.garden.