Inquisitive Adventures

If anything could represent my stress level over the last few years, it would be our front garden.

Over time, I let it become overgrown and poorly cared for. This year, I am determined to see it cleaned up and healthy again.

I have a mixed relationship with gardening. I love the idea of plants, but when it comes to the actual labor, my relationship with it changes. Part of me enjoys it. But when life becomes too much to manage, it’s one of the first things that falls into disarray.

When I don’t have the capacity to keep up with it, it’s almost like I put up a mental block and pretend it isn’t there. Somehow, it becomes invisible. Until I pull into the driveway and notice it again. For a moment, I feel frustrated. Then, almost as quickly, my mind tucks it away, letting me ignore it a little longer.

In the past, I would plan an entire day around gardening in the spring. This year, I’ve admitted defeat when it comes to pushing through everything all at once. Instead, I’ve been scheduling small steps throughout the week and setting a timer based on what my capacity is for that day.

So far, we’ve pulled half the weeds in our main garden bed.

One of my favorite parts of gardening is planting and caring for roses. When I have the time and energy, pruning is one of my favorite things to do.

There is something calming and spiritual about clipping away dead branches from my rose bush.

I think part of that is inspired by Scripture.

Every time I prune, the passage John 15 comes to mind:

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”
— John 15:1–2 (NIV)

When I prune, I listen to worship music and reflect on this passage.

I think about the things in my own life that need pruning.

And there is something deeply restorative in those moments.

Later in the passage, Jesus says:

“I am the vine; you are the branches… If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit.”
— John 15:5 (NIV)

This speaks deeply to the season of life I am in now.

I am learning that if I want to flourish, I need to tend the garden of my life.

There is a lot that goes into caring for roses. When the conditions around them are unhealthy, they become more vulnerable to disease and may struggle to bloom. I think the same is true for us. Healthy growth requires care, but true fruitfulness comes from abiding in Christ.

Tending the gardens of our lives means making space for rest, stillness, and time with the One who created the universe.

When we ignore our capacity or push past our limits, we slowly begin to drift. We start living in our own strength instead of staying connected to the true Vine and trusting the Gardener to care for the parts of our lives we cannot carry alone.

And maybe that leaves us with an important question:

Where have I disconnected from the source of life?

I’ll leave you with a few photos from gardens I’ve visited that have inspired me. My own garden is still waiting to bloom, but tending always comes before flourishing.