In The Garden

You may not know it by the condition of my houseplants, but I’m a flower child at heart. I even got my degree in horticulture and worked as a florist for many years.

My love for flowers and nature started when I was young and would spend time with my grandmother. Her house was surrounded by gorgeous flower beds and her front porch was adorned with hanging baskets. That love of flowers and plants rubbed off on me. 

As I grew up, I always helped Daddy in the garden and with the flower beds around the house. He wanted the flowers to be nice, so Momma could look out the front windows and see all the blooms. We had a rose garden and a large gladiolus bed. Because I loved my Mam-ma’s hanging baskets, our front porch was lined with hanging baskets of every sort as well.

Living in the south, it would be too hot to work in the flowers mid day, so I often would get up early and work in the flowers. Something about getting up early and spending time in God’s glorious creation, always made my heart sing His praises.

Looking at the delicate petals of the flowers and seeing all the intricate, colorful parts, and watching the bees buzz from bloom to bloom....ahhh...it was just heavenly. Not to mention, the roses had sweetest of fragrances.

Just as those flower gardens beckoned me each and every morning, the Lord beckons now. Every day, if my heart is listening, I can hear Him say “Gayle, come walk and talk with me. Come and abide with me.”

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.”
‭‭John‬ ‭15:5, 9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

On many occasions in the New Testament, we are told that Jesus went off to pray. (Mark 1:35, Luke 5:16, Luke 6:12) If Jesus needed time to abide with His Father, how much more so for me!

These last few months, as I have shared before with you, I have sensed the Lord drawing me back very close to His side. Calling me to truly abide with Him. He is whispering ever so sweetly to be “in the garden” with Him. To meet Him while the “dew is still on the roses.”

When I choose to meet Him there “the sound of His voice is so sweet the birds hush their singing.”

Are you listening for His whisper? Are you longing to abide with Him?

If not, you can ask Him to help you hunger for Him. You can call out to Him and He will meet you “in the garden.”

The joy you “share as you tarry there, none other has ever known.”

Art behind the art:

Spring is springing here in Mississippi and the daffodils are popping everywhere.  The page was started with a light watercolor wash.  Using the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps daffodil stamp from Spring Blossoms was perfect on the In the Garden page in my hymnal.  The butterfly from Made New  was stamped on vellum, colored, fussy cut and then adhered on foam tape.  I added the word "abide" with the Typewriter Alpha stamps.  Lastly, I added some visual interest with Texture Tiles 1 and Texture Tiles 2.

I encourage you to take some time and walk in the garden with Him.


Until next time,

Gayle
Patio Ponderings

Editor's Note:

In The Garden Lyrics by Charles Austin Miles (1912)
Source:  HymnLyrics.org

I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses.
Refrain

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

He speaks, and the sound of His voice,
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing.

Refrain

I’d stay in the garden with Him
Though the night around me be falling,
But He bids me go; through the voice of woe
His voice to me is calling.

Refrain


Words: Charles Austin Miles (1912)

Source of Hope

Who needs a bit of encouragement from time to time? I know I do. We live in such a busy, crazy time, with life spinning all around us. Sometimes, when we take our eyes off of Jesus and look at circumstances, things can get hopeless.

Several years ago, Chuck Swindoll said “I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you...we are in charge of our attitudes.” Isn’t that true with hope as well? We can’t control all that is going on, but we can choose our responses. If we choose to trust in Him, the Bible tells us in Romans that we will “overflow with confident hope.”

All too often, we want to react to the situation instead of choosing to respond with what we know to do. Paul goes on to say in Romans chapter fifteen, that we already “know these things so well” and that we “can teach teach each other all about them.”

So, why if we know these things do we not do them? For me, it’s because I sometimes forget from who...and from where hope comes. Hope doesn’t come from the world around me, it comes directly from my Father...”the source of hope.”

Perhaps today, you or someone you know, might need this reminder as well.



“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. I am fully convinced, my dear brothers and sisters, that you are full of goodness. You know these things so well you can teach each other all about them. Even so, I have been bold enough to write about some of these points, knowing that all you need is this reminder. For by God’s grace,”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭15:13-15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Art behind the story:

As I pondered this passage, I couldn’t think of a more joy filled representation of hope than a pot of spring flowers. We plant bulbs in the fall with the hope of blossoms in the spring!

I used Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps Spring Blossoms and stamped the tulips and daffodils on patterned card stock. I drew leaves and the flower pot on coordinating card stock. Then, the fun part...fussy cutting all the pieces and then designing the arrangement as I pondered this passage! Next, I stamped the word hope from the Choose Faith set. Lastly, I hand lettered the rest of the sentiment.

He Steadied Me

Have you ever found yourself in a place you didn’t want to be? Or in a scenario that you thought you’d never be? One of those situations where you thought “this won’t ever happen to us. That won’t be me. That just isn’t what I’d ever choose.”

If you’re like me, you can answer “yes”, if you’re really being honest. Several years ago, I was in a situation that I never thought would happen to me. It was the farthest thing from my mind, but it happened. There I was. In a pit.  

So what’s a person to do when you get in one of “those” places? Get mad? Pull yourself up by your own boot straps? Pout?  I had never been in "this" place before and I needed wisdom to know what to do.

I chose to wait on the Lord. Even though life was spinning around me, I knew God was still God and He was still in control. I didn’t know how it would all work out, or even when. But I knew God would be with me and carry me through.

His Word became my life.  Like never before, I poured myself in to it and it into me. I clung to the truths and promises it contained. I listened for His soft whispers of what to say and what to do. He directed me when to sit and just be still.  I waited on Him.  

One morning, several months later, I remember waking up feeling so refreshed and so full of life. I was leaving for work and was headed out the front door, when they caught my eye.

There right in front of me, I noticed the daffodils were blooming. Bright, cheery, sunshine colored daffodils. They were gently swaying in the breeze as if they were waving good morning to me.

It was then that I knew, He not only lifted me out of the pit of mud and mire, but He set my feet on solid ground. And the best part? He didn’t just leave me and send me on my way. “He steadied me as I walked along!”

You see, at that point I couldn’t even remember if the daffodils had bloomed the year before. It had been a long season of winter. But, oh, on that day...I knew they were blooming!

When He lifted me from that pit, and steadied me as we walked along, He also gave me a new song to sing. Today, when you see me and wonder why the smile on my face...know it’s because I’m singing His song of praise in my heart!!

Psalm 40:1-3

I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry.  He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire.  He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.  He has given me a new song to sing,  a hymn of praise to our God.  Many will see what He has done and be amazed.  They will put their trust in the Lord.  

The art behind the story:

As soon as I saw these new daffodils from the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Spring Blossom set, I knew I had to do this page to document this time in my life.
I prepped the page with Liquitex matte gel medium, then I stamped the daffodils with Stazon black ink.  I stamped the words with the beautiful Rebecca Script alphas.  I used prismacolor pencils to color and shade the daffodils and to add highlights to the lettering.

Thanks for joining me today.  Praying He puts a new song in your heart!

Hugs,

Gayle (Patio Ponderings)