Cultivate your own Garden of Eden
Whether we are conscious of it or not, and whether we like it or not, we are all spiritual beings.
Those of us who obviously practise our faith, especially in our old age, are approached by people who say how they envy us the certainty of our belief. What they may not realise is that it is possible to be beset by doubts and that hard work is involved. They say they are vaguely aware of the existence of God, that Jesus was a very good man, but they don’t know what, if anything, to do about it.
The ways to God are infinitely varied. It is an absolute certainty that there is one for each of us. For some, it will be through the poverty and unhappiness we see around us; for others, our own lack of fulfilment, the goodness of others, the arts or, just possibly, gardens.
To be a gardener is, naturally speaking, to be a contemplative. And surely all gardeners must ask from time to time, ‘Where do all these astonishing things come from?’ They are to be found at the
very beginning of the Bible: ‘Vegetation, seed-bearing plants and fruit trees bearing fruit with their seed inside’ (Genesis 1:12). They come into being on the third day. I am not a fundamentalist and am well aware of the processes of evolution, but it is reassuring to find that, in this poetic creation myth, plants appear the minute the earth is ready for them.
Gardeners know that gardens are hard work; they are places of growth, just like faith. They are subject to setbacks, disappointments and sometimes disasters. But if gardeners really mean business, mere calamity is not going to put them off for long. The same is true of our spiritual lives. There are efforts to be made; and even when we lapse we can always begin again. My novice mistress used to tell me that letting something fall off the tray was unimportant, but that it was vital not to drop the tray.
Those who are beginning to want a greater understanding of Christian practice will need to read, think and talk things through. At some point, they are going to have to make a leap of faith and acknowledge that the Holy Spirit is at work, very specifically, in them. It is the Holy Spirit who is trying to get through, over and over again, via strange and often tiny impulses. Like plants, these impulses need to be nurtured. Application is crucial.
My father, a very good gardener, used to say that planting seedlings should be done with all the attention, gentleness and love that are needed in putting a baby to bed.