Well Watered Gardens
I think it’s safe to say that I really love flowers. Flowers are actually how I got into photography. Even though my love for photography started around the time I turned 14 and was cultivated by a family legacy, I never really started engaging it other than to document events until late high school. Some of my friends were starting to have fun with photography, so I thought I would join. From that time on, what has consistently captured my attention is nature, specifically flowers. There is something about their intricate detail, colors, and beauty. What I did not realize until recently is how significant flowers have been to my story.
In my first blog post, I shared the story about my Rose of Sharon bush and how over the years, it has become a symbol for me of God’s faithfulness. Over the summer I downloaded an app to my phone to help me identify plants, because in full disclosure, I was turning into a crazy plant lady. (Staying at home does weird things to us.) One of the really cool features about this app is that it will tell you the symbolism of different plants. As I was cataloging all of my outdoor and indoor plants, I learned that one of things a Rose of Sharon can symbolize is gentle perseverance. My heart stopped when I read that. I could not believe the way that God had so beautifully woven this flower into my story, only years later to show me what it stood for. It does stand for His faithfulness, His gentle, persevering faithfulness. He also reminded me that it has been a symbol to me in times of my own perseverance, like when I was diagnosed with Type 1 or when I was trying (still am trying) to persevere in promises He has given me. The symbolisms did not stop there either. Zinnias represent joy. Lavender means wait for love. It was also around this same time that a close friend called, saying “I want to read these verses to you.” She read Isaiah 55, specifically verse 13.
“Where there once were thorns, cypress tress will grow. Where briers grew, myrtles will sprout up. These events will bring great honor to the Lord’s name; they will be an everlasting sign of His power and love.”
She then shared that she had looked up the symbolism of Myrtles, and one of the things it stands for is God recovering and establishing His promises to His people. I was blown away. You see, promise, and the things God has promised matter to me. I have had a four year learning process about God and His promises. Promise matters to me. As I investigated Myrtles further, I came to find out that they are bushes, but when they bloom, they are covered in tiny, white blooms, shaped like stars. I realized that God was introducing another flower to be a part of my story. After a year and a half of heartbreak, He was using a beautiful bloom to remind my heart of His truth, that He is faithful to His promises, even if He has to recover them to fulfill them.
As I have sat and processed all of the different flowers, their meanings, and the roles they have played in my story, I was struck by a thought. Scripture uses a lot of garden imagery. Some of my favorite being the verses this blog is based on, a well watered garden. A garden filled with a collection of beautiful flowers, each with a different meaning. Each meaning pointing back to the heart of the cultivator and creator. Friends, I want to be a well watered garden. I want to have a heart and life filled with beauty, color, and intricate detail. And, maybe, that is what walking with God looks like. As you walk with Him, He grows up a new beauty within you, watering it with His goodness, faithfulness, and living water, making you and me well watered gardens, places of life and beauty.
