God's well-watered garden

Kathy & Jim McMillan’s garden
 

The Lord will guide you continually,
    giving you water when you are dry
    and restoring your strength.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
    like an ever-flowing spring.
– Isaiah 58:11 NLT

Early in the morning on hot summer days, I’m in the garden before sunup. There’s something quieting about bird songs floating through the cool air as I pick berries, cucumbers, green beans, peaches, or whatever else happens to be in season.

On Sundays, when I don’t have to get to work, my husband and I will often put in 6-8 hours of garden work. One thing I’ve learned is that I need to stay hydrated. If I am in the hot sun more than 45 minutes without drinking a large glass of water, my energy drains and I’m done for the day.

Likewise, there are many vital components to a successful garden, and water is at the top of the list. Unless you’re growing black-eyed peas and okra, gardens need water—and lots of it in the southern California heat!

Without water, cucumbers and lettuce can turn bitter, broccoli and kale start tasting “mustardy,” herbs bolt too quickly, and the leaves of other plants will turn brown and fall off. A good garden needs an ample water supply.

There is a beautiful passage in Isaiah 58 that says God will give us water when we are dry, restoring our strength. H2O can give us much-needed physical strength. But how much more we need the “water of life” offered by Jesus. Isaiah goes on to say that we will be like a well-watered garden. Aside from the fact that a well-watered garden looks beautiful, it also yields wonderful produce.

Jesus told the woman at the well that he had water to give her that would keep her from every getting thirsty again (John 4:10). The water that comes from God gives us strength and courage for our current challenges and hope as we face the future. But better still, that water helps us produce the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, kindness, and gentleness, to name a few. That sounds like a crop I would like to harvest!

—Kathy McMillan, MA, is director of Employee Spiritual Care for Loma Linda University Medical Center.