"God’s Creativity!" A Guest Post by Jennie Atkins

I have a passion for gardening and flowers.  From the time I was a wee sprout dogging my father’s footsteps through his rose garden, I learned to appreciate God’s creativity.  For me, it is a place of solace and healing, a place of growth and renewal, and even a place to mourn.

Is it any wonder why God chose a garden for Adam and Eve to dwell or why Jesus wept at the Garden of Gethsemane prior to his crucifixion?  I’m sure it’s not because of the beauty of the landscape, although I would have loved to see the flowers in the Garden of Eden, but because of its simplicity. A garden is an honest representation of God’s creativity, provision, power, and the His gift of eternal life.

Creativity – Luke 12:27 – “Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.” I stand in awe of the variety of flowers in my garden. God took time to create the soft petals of a rose, the airy leaves of an asparagus fern, and the sunny faces of Shasta Daisies. Each plant is unique and special. It always leaves me with the question, how much more did He spend time with us?

Provision – Acts 14:17 – “Yet he has not left himself without testimony:  He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”  I love to garden, but even if I don’t tend the soil and water the plants, God has provided the rain and the sun so that they will grow.  The trees will bloom in the spring, with or without my help, because God provided a way, just as He promises to provide for us every day of our lives.

      

Power – Romans 1:20 – “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” Everywhere I go, I see God’s hand in nature.  From the mountains pushed up from the depths of the sea, to the grass growing soft under my feet. He didn’t have to create the multi-colored flowers or the vast variety of fruits and vegetables, or the various landscapes inhabited by an infinite display of animal life, but He did.  He did it so that we could see His power and His glory.

Eternal life – John 3:16 – “For God so love the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  More than anything in my garden, I see the example of eternal life.  I watch every Spring as the perennial plants I set into the ground push their way toward the sun; they bloom every Summer and die off in the Fall, only to return in the Spring. 

 

God’s eternal grace is a gift that he shows us through nature.  Through the stars in the sky, the sun and the rain, and the flowers on the earth.  Today, as you step outdoors, look around you and be amazed at God’s handiwork!

As an empty-nester, Jennie is finally able to devote time to a lifelong dream of being a writer.  A native Ohioan, Jennie and her husband of almost 40 years picked up their Ohio roots and moved to a peaceful valley outside of Carson City, Nevada.  Needless to say, her passion for gardening has taken on a new dimension.

 

Jennie inherited her father’s love of gardening.  From the time she was little, she helped her father in the garden where she learned all about growing vegetables and flowers.  Her passion is perennial flowers, which she is attempting to grow in the Nevada desert.

By day she works on software systems that protect machinery in refineries, petrochemical plants, hydroelectric facilities, and wind farms.  In her spare time, Jennie loves a good book, sews, or goes four-wheeling with her husband in the mountains around their home.

Jennie and her husband have four children and three grandchildren.