"Do not stare at me because I am dark, because I am darkened by the sun.
My mother’s sons were angry with me and made me take care of the
vineyards; my own vineyard I have neglected."
-Song of Solomon 1:6
A night of worship and true revelation awaited me. You spoke into my life through a precious youth.
As she shared, Your words came directly from Your throne to my heart. The picture of the Song
of Solomon maiden came to mind. I am that maiden.
You are calling me to tend my garden. Then, my missing journal, a piece of my soul drove me
to seach, alone. Alone with just you is where you long for me. Speaking words of love, you revealed
the neglect in our garden.
I have placed more value in giving, cultivating and planting in others' gardens while mine lies dormant
and neglected. You invited me to tend my garden again. Cultivate and prune my children, the delicate
sprouting seedlings. Nurture and uphold my husband, the oak of righteousness. Water and weed the
delicate flowers of talents You planted in my life.
In our garden, it is a time for weeding. Weeding out the selfishness, the me cries from my heart.
Weeding out the plans I have that crowd your perfect plans for our life. Weeding out the small
idols that are threatening to overtake the seeds you planted.
In our garden, it is a time for pruning. Cutting away any dead and decaying part of my life that
hinders me from producing fruit.
In our garden, it is a time for cultivating. Enriching the soil of my heart as I soak more in You.
Preparing my heart for the dream seeds you desire to grow and flourish. Cultivating intimacy with You
where we can just linger together, in our garden.
My heart's desire has changed. May my garden emit a holy fragrance, an aroma pleasing to you. And
may I learn from the Master Gardener himself.
(the journal entry 10/08 that kindled a love for His garden in my life)
37 comments:
Oh how precious! I'm tending to my garden with you!
I love you Sarah and thank our GOD for blessing me with you in my life!!!!!
Thank You for shining His goodness for me to taste today!
Hugs,
Jill
Sarah Dawn:
This is beautiful and very moving. What a revelation and word from GOD!!
GOD BLESS, andrea
Sarah Dawn,
I love gardening and this post spoke such words of love from God thoroughout it! Thank you for blessing us all with it today.
Love and Hugs ~ Kat
Thanks Sarah, I'm getting inspired to start my journal again. I've been feeling that for awhile and reading your blog is just confirming that I need to do this and tend to my garden. and allow him to plant "dream seeds." :) Thanks for sharing.
Yes, "weeding" a tiresome process but is a necessity to keep the garden beautiful. Thanks for sharing this. Lots to ponder. God bless.
Beautiful! "A holy fragrance!" Wow...
this was just beautiful! Thank you for sharing it with us!
I was more than splashed...I was soaked! :)
It seems all of us get caught up in "doing God's work" in the lives of others that we forget our own families. We actually feel guilty for tending to our own garden! I teach other people's children at a Christian preschool, have helped run our Summer Sunday School program at church for 3 years, was on a MOPS committee for 2 years and am now beginning a Moms In Touch group for 3 schools in our district. I always think, "But these are my ministries. I'm doing God's work." In reality, these things keep me from ministering to my own family as much as I should. Thank you for this reminder!
Blessings and Hugs, Leslie
This is an amazing journal entry Sarah. I am almost too overcome with thoughts to do anything but sit and read that post again. The scripture has never struck me this way.
You are a gift to me on my own blog and a refreshing voice here on your own.
Sarah,
I'm so happy you came to visit! I am loving your blog already.... can't wait to catch up on some of your past ones. I'll be back!
Sarah - I'm so glad you found my blog today! So exciting to meet new friends. I was reading through your past posts and through your profile......just loved the photos of your son's baptism (as well as his testimony) - how precious! Just wondering - how long have you been in Costa Rica? I look forward to reading more about what God is doing with your family there.
Also, among your favorite books (there were lots of interesting ones I've never heard before) I noticed one titled "Ruined for the Ordinary" (something like that) and I was very curious about that one - love the title, at least!
So glad you will be stopping by again (I suppose you discovered the meaning behind my blog title on the sidebar along with Tyler's story:) Have a wonderful weekend!! Glad to meet you!
I'm so happy to meet you. You blog is just lovely, and your words speak such life!
Love Leslie's comment, too. I've done care group leadership for Mothering Matters, taught Sunday School, volunteered here and there, plus running areas of our homeschool group. I get this idea of what I "should" be doing, and then realize that my heart has turned from my own children, which should be my #1 ministry. Recently I have felt the strong leading to turn my heart back. It's as if God just reached down and gently turned my chin downward, to view my four precious children. Then all else faded away.
Wow, what a wonderful way to start the day! Your comment to me was such a blessing as I was pondering yesterday if I should even blog anymore. So happy to meet you. I loved reading this post. Couldn't we all stand to re read that once a week or so? Oh my. That was really beautiful. I read your posts that showed and you have such a beautiful blog. How exciting your son was baptised. Such a happy time for parents to see our children step out publicly and profess His name. Love it.
You've also got me thinking with what you wrote about our talents. I am just beginning to pray about what I should be doing as far as what can I do to help out the homeless or people struggling but aren't quite homeless. God has really laid that on my heart. Being a busy mom of four, with a 2 yr. old in tow, I have been wondering what can I really do? But your talents post has encouraged me to look at my gifts and pray about what God would have me to do with what I have been blessed with. Oh my, thank you.
So happy to meet you,
Jennifer
Okay that was really beautiful. And as I read it I felt a little convicted. I too have been ignoring my own garden a little - blogging, reading, gym time etc... Those things can sure time zap your day and then everything else goes to weeds. Thank you for that. I obviously needed it.
Hi Sarah! Thanks so much for stopping by my blog! I have been blessed because of it! Your words are beautiful and your spirit just jumps through the computer screen. Feel free to come back anytime! And if you don't mind I will be back to "splash" around some more as well!
God Bless,
Sassy
How sweet a reminder that when God gardens, the process may be painful sometimes and uncomfortable, but what a harvest He brings forth. I've let my alone time with Him slide the past few days and need to get back into intimacy with my Father and Master Gardener. Thanks for your sweet words of wisdom.
I love your post here, and the photo is the picture perfect image to go along with it. How adorable this picture is! Is that your son, Caleb, watering the flowers? Just precious!!!
Hi Sarah :) This is lovely! It's a joy to meet you, too! Love, Q
It is so easy in ministry to get caught up tending to other people's gardens. Teaching them how to weed, fertilize, and to soak in the rain. We often receive more affirmation from helping others weed than weeding our own garden. This is a great reminder to all of us to stop and look deeply at our own lives and homes.
Thank you for splashing some of God's love my way earlier - your blog theme is awesome!
It is the part of selfishness that I have to keep working on…may times I start my weekend thinking how I would like to enjoy my time off…time for myself. It usually does not work out the way I wanted it to. I am much happier when I give my day to God to bring about what He wants, and I just drift along happily with whatever comes my way…I can when a genuinely have handed my day completely to Him.
♥Hope
I am so glad that I found your blog! I love it already!!! This post is just wonderful... thank you for sharing it!
Be Blessed ~ Lauren
We can spend time in other's gardens and neglecting our own, that is for sure! Even just blogging can be a part of that. Thank you for this lovely reminder!
We can even spend to much time in one area of our own garden and neglecting the other part (like spending to much time cleaning and neglecting our kids, or even the other way around).
God is the balance!
About the picture. I'm sorry! I find that Firefox browser lets me see things that the Internet explorer browser won't.
Sarah Dawn,
What a beautiful blog! Thank you for visiting mine. I enjoyed splashing around yours, and I hope to come back for some more visits soon.
Jamie
Lovely Sarah Dawn,
The aroma from your garden has refreshed my senses!! This is so wonderful and so timely for me to read tonight, sweet sister. I have some weeds to pull, some seedlings to nurture, my own oak to adorn in love!!
I pray as well, that my garden will be a place where He and I can linger together--a place created to bless His heart!
Love and prayers to you and yours!
Dear Sarah Dawn,
I am just stopping by this morning wondering how you are doing? I hope all is well for you and your sweet family.
Here it is Saturday, again, and I have a brand new day to practice not thinking of myself and what I want to do today.
It is a beautiful day...the sun is streaming into the living room...Christian music proclaiming God's goodness.
Your clock says 5:44...I wonder if you are about to have dinner.
God bless your evening!
♥Hope
Sister Sarah Keep sowing and He will water it. Amen. God's joy and peace be with you really good to you and yours.. St. Poddy.
Sarah Dawn,
I feel speechless right now because of that beautiful and moving poem. Soooo what I need to hear! I'm so glad you posted it and I hope it's alright that I print it up and tape it up where I can read it over and over again.
I wanted to let you know that I passed on a lovely blog award to you, so easy to pick you because of posts like I just read from you. That is exactly the reason I love your blog- the heart you have for the Lord and your family inspires and encourages me. Thank you, stop by and "pick up" your award.
Julianne :)
Beautiful words...
beautiful
Hola Sarah!!
No, I don't speak Spanish. LOL. That's about all I know.. hello and a few colors.
Thanks so much for stopping by my blog. I LOVE to meet new blogger friends. Looks like we have a few things in common. First our LOVE for our Heavenly Father and second - beautiful sandy places.
I have really enjoyed reading through your entries. You have a beautiful style to your writing and I can't wait to hit the FOLLOW button and become a follower.
Your boys are adorable!!
May God bless you with a beautiful SONday and I will be back again ..
Blessings
Mikki
This is beautiful Sarah! Thank you for commenting on my sites. It is a joy and a blessing for me to have the opportunity to share God's Word with the world.
Blessings,
Karlene Jacobsen
Sarah, you are a gifted writer! This is so very beautiful I felt as if I were reading from Song of Solomon.
You have blessed me today with your visit to my blog and with this post at yours.
Blessings,
Mary
Beautiful :-) Thanks for sharing your thoughts! And small world that you are from AZ and our team is too :-) We actually have a number of supporting churches from Arizona. We are originally from California, but have visited Arizona many times.
"Singing" might be different but you're still singing and splashin' over there! Sometimes home and ministry are very close, but the line is still there, isn't it?
It's the fellowship, the love, the memories you make that make your home sing, as well as the physical things that you do!
Wow!! That was beautiful, and it totally ministered to me!!!
So very lovely.
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