Walking With Christ

Story time. Enjoy.

A gardener was walking through his garden and admiring the results of his labor. The garden was sprawling and vibrant. It had plants of all kinds producing beautiful fruits. Flowers of all colors, shapes, and sizes were in full bloom and the wind carried their sweet scents on the breeze mingling them together in the most amazing bouquet. The trees of all kinds and sizes gently swayed in the breeze as if dancing to music too soft to hear. The shade these trees provided shielded the plants below them from the heat of the sun so that the garden was perfectly balanced for all kinds of plants. The work was extensive and required a great deal of care. The gardener loved this garden and it showed.

However, there was one small patch of soil, while rich with potential, stubbornly refused to grow much of anything because it was marred with rocks both small and large. The gardener never failed to cast the seeds onto this little patch of soil. The seeds simply could not survive because of the overabundance of rocks. The gardener was patient and wise when tending to this little plot. He picked up the small stones and tossed them aside with his loving hands, humming a low love song to the soil as he worked.

One massive rock lay deeply embedded in the soil, its presence an ever looming shadow over the otherwise fertile earth. The soil, proud of its rocky companion, felt secure and well protected. It had grown around the rock and embraced it as part of its identity. “This rock makes me who I am”, the sought thought to itself, unaware of the dormant seeds, yearning for the sun.

One radiant morning, the patient gardener knelt beside the stubborn little patch of soil with a gentle yet resolute spark twinkling in his eye. “It’s time for you to see your true potential”, he whispered to the soil in a soothing breeze.

Tools in hand, tools not used in other parts of the garden, he began to work on the soil. The soil shook with fear as the gardener worked. The sounds of the scraping were persistent and unfamiliar. The soil cried out as the sound of the first crack echoed throughout the garden. The gardener continued to work even as a deep silence fell over the rest of the beautiful garden. The soil was terrified as each strike to the rock reverberated to its very soul shaking the foundation the soil had come to rely on.

“Why?”, cried the soil as the rock, once-imposing, was scattered like memories.

“To make room for life”, is all the gardener said, his eyes filled with compassion for the soil. With the rock finally broken, he reached deep into the hole to remove the remnants lest they work their way up to the surface later to once more choke out the seeds that would be planted. The soil could only cry in anguish over the empty space the rock had once occupied acting as a shield.

Gently, the gardener placed new seeds. The soil was still raw and confused. Lamenting the loss of such a large part of who the soil believed itself to be left the soil with unmistakable doubts.

The gardener brought water for the seeds and to sooth the soil. As the seeds sprouted to life the soil was still mourning the loss of the rock. Slowly, the seeds gently pushed tentative roots into the now freed soil where the rock had once been. The sensation was both foreign and exhilarating. The soil couldn’t comprehend exactly what was happening.

As the days turned into weeks, sprouts pierced through the soil, reaching upwards to bathe in the sunlight that had been blocked for so long. The soil began to realize the toxic weight that it had carried for so long. It began to look around, and for the first time noticed the beautiful mosaic of colors and life all around it. The soil finally began to understand the wisdom of the gardener. The breaking of the rock, though deeply painful, had been a liberation. As the once barren patch thrived, flourishing with new growth, the soil understood the wisdom of the Gardener’s painful intervention. What it once feared losing had actually stifled its true purpose. Now, free from the shackling weight of the rock, the soil was able to support vibrant life. This transformation was a testament to the Gardener’s foresight and nurturing, revealing that true strength lies not in what we cling to from our past, but in what we can grow into when we let go and trust the gardener’s hands.

In our lives, just like the soil, we may cling to rocks—habits, fears, or sins—that we believe define us or protect us. Yet, when God sees that these rocks hinder our growth, He may choose to break them apart. The rock might seem like it’s the only thing holding us up, but if the seeds being planted are going to grow, sometimes that rock has to break. It can hurt and be confusing. It can leave us feeling empty or bitter. It can feel like nothing will ever fill the void where that rock once was. This process can be painful and frightening, yet it is essential for us to reach our full potential and bear the fruit He envisions for us. Let us then trust the Gardener, embrace the breaking of our rocks, and look forward to the lush growth that will follow.