‘Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?’
Putting aside the interpretations of this nursery rhyme, consider if you were the Mary being asked. Would you be thought of as contrary?
“Contrary to what?” you may wonder. “And who said I had a garden?”
A follower of Jesus Christ should have a garden! It is evidence of the Master Gardener in your life. This garden yields godly fruit that the Holy Spirit is growing. And, as believers, we should not be contrary, let alone quite contrary, to the Holy Spirit’s work in our life.
So, what is growing in your garden?
When we turn our lives over to Jesus, he gives us his Holy Spirit (John 14:15-17). What an astounding gift! He is always with us, stirring up the soil of our heart, planting seeds of God’s truths, watering it with his presence, and pruning what does not belong. Godly character matures. Our spiritual blossoms give off the aroma of Christ (2 Corinthians 2:15). Fruit grows and ripens – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
We are to put off our old self and put on the ways of the Spirit (Ephesians 4:22-24). Because we do not immediately and completely give over our ways to Jesus, some fruit takes longer to ripen. But God is patient and able to transform us by the renewing of our mind. When we set our mind on things above we choose to honor God, motivated by our love and reverence for him. Meditating on the Word allows us to bask in his truths and shape our view by his perspective.
Our contrary attitude boils down to our selfishness. We want what we want, now. We think we know what is best and we often want the easiest route to get it. Contrast that to how Jesus lived on Earth. He endured much suffering for our sake, doing the Father’s will. He had the ability to avoid difficult scenarios, but he only desired that God be glorified. We say we want to follow him, yet we still want our way, now.
The process of growing for God’s glory is not often easy, but the harvest is worth it. Jesus said, “Remain in me as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit on its own; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me” (John 15:4 NIV, letter R in Keep on Track).
Given over to the Lord, your garden will grow!
Read more about how you can help your garden grow.