A Lesson On Not Tending To My Garden

Yesterday afternoon I went outside to the back yard with my dog – who does not like “going potty” in high grass, wet grass or rain. It had just rained. Plus, the grass was overgrown since I hadn’t made time to cut it. So she gingerly stepped out into the yard because I went in the grass with her. While I was out in the grass, I happened to look directly down to my left and spotted what looked like a ball of fur at first. I almost panicked because I thought it might be a snake – but the last time I checked, snakes don’t have fur. I peeked a little closer and realized it was a baby rabbit. She could have fit in my hand. And she was hiding in the middle of a large and overgrown patch of grass. I thought “I guess that’s what I get for not tending to my garden”. Specifically my lawn. And I was grateful that that she wasn’t a snake.

Long story short, I called animal control because she wasn’t moving – even when I prodded her with a rake and combed the grass down with the rake. I felt convicted to mow the grass and started on the front yard while I waited for animal control. But I also felt bad for baby girl rabbit. Her mother was nowhere around and I didn’t want a predator to come and prey on her. Well, when the lady from animal control came, she put the cage down and baby girl rabbit took off. Then nestled herself under my trash can which was right outside the gate of my yard. The lady from animal control wouldn’t take her because she was healthy. She also explained that there was likely a whole nest of rabbits in my yard and/or my neighbor’s and that baby girl rabbit was probably waiting for her mother to come back for her. So that left me with baby girl rabbit who waited patiently under the garbage can for her mother to come back for her.

This made me think about my relationship with God. I realized that it’s a lot like my lawn. Yes, God is the ultimate Gardener. But I still have to tend to it and put work in for it to be healthy and vibrant. When I don’t, it looks just like my lawn – overgrown, full of weeds and perfect for snakes to hide in. And isn’t that what Satan the ultimate serpent does? Yes, he loves to hide in the overgrown grass and weeds of our hearts so that when we wade through it, he can strike us and poison our hearts towards God. He may even kill us.

Another thing I realized in that moment was something that baby girl rabbit showed me. Which is that we should ALWAYS wait for our Father. The only reason baby girl rabbit moved was because some giant creature (the animal control lady) came towards her with a trap. And even then, she didn’t go far. Why? Because in some way her mother communicated that she was to stay put. How many times in my life have I gone ahead of God? Or lagged far behind him? Or decided to go my own way and shun the shade and shelter of his protective wings? Not baby girl rabbit, though. She waited for her mother to come back. And now I’m reminded that I need to ALWAYS wait for my Father.

Baby girl rabbit wasn’t in the yard when I came back. I’m convinced her mother or another rabbit in the nest came for her. Because this tiny baby insisted on waiting on her mother…and in doing so, illustrated in real time to me the demeanor I need to always have towards my Father. “The Lord God took man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work and keep it” (Genesis 2:15). May I always tend to my garden.