He is the Gardener and We are His Work

I am fascinated by the ways God can speak to us and teach us lessons, if we are willing to receive those lessons. This morning I listened to a great devotional from B.J. Rowe, my first religion professor at BYU-Idaho (Backyard Sermons, August 20, 2013). He shared a few of the life lessons he had learned from his own backyard.

One day he was looking out at his backyard and thought to himself, "What happened here? Didn't I just mow that grass? Didn't I just pull those weeds a week ago? How did this get so messy?"

Then, in his frustration he realized that we are very similar to the grass. Like the grass, we too require frequent mowing and weeding. The great Gardener, even our Heavenly Father, does not look at us and  think to Himself, "Didn't I just remove that weed from you? Didn't I just mow you down to help you become beautiful, yet now you are lifting up your head in pride and selfishness?" Rather, He sees us as His work and glory (Moses 1:39) and has provided the means for us to have weekly "spiritual lawn mowing," even the Sacrament.

Our Gardener is patient with us and rejoices when we come to Him for renewal. Instead of feeling frustrated and discouraged with our imperfections, let us remember that God loves yard work and knew from the beginning that "we would require frequent maintenance" (Rowe).

President Boyd K. Packer stated, "Repent, and, if necessary, repent again and again and again and -again until you- not the enemy- are in charge of you. Life turns out to be a succession of trials and errors. Add 'repent often' to your list of things to do" (Boyd K. Packer, How to Survive in Enemy Territory, April 2012).

I am grateful for the great Gardener and His patience with me. He has made my life beautiful and has replenished me time and time again. I am grateful for the opportunity to repent over and over again because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I know He will bring that renewal to you as you come unto Him with an open heart.

Click the link to watch a video about the work of our Gardener: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr8xvw0cgw0