If our heart and mind is a garden…
And we just let what naturally grow, come about.

Small sprouts of honesty. 
Flowers that are natural and pretty are all around.
There’s even some plants you bought that make the garden look extraordinary. 
At the center is a tree you are particularly fond of. 
Not too big or too small, just perfect. 

You meet the gardener.
He tells you there are weeds in your garden. He won’t work without your permission.

You learn from him and tend to the garden based on his advice.
You spray weed killer on the weeds
and water the garden.

You see some plants wilt and others begin to flourish.
You show the gardener your accomplishment, this magnificent garden.
He tells you that there are still weeds that need to be dealt with.
You argue that you did everything you could 
and sprayed the killer
and followed his guide.

He reminds you that he is the master gardener.
He asks if he has permission to uproot some plants.

You say that you’ll handle it,
now that you know what’s a weed and what isn’t.

You continue to tend the garden as usual.
Perhaps you spray the weeds more often.
You do your best to starve them but they still manage to remain.
You figure that it’d take more time than you thought.
That’s fine- you trust the gardener’s teachings. 

One day, He looks over to your garden
And points out that the flowers you purchased…
Aren’t sustainable for the type of terrain.

You look at him like he’s crazy.

What does he know?
They’re half the reason your garden is even worth mentioning.
He sips his tea and says “I see.”
You mumble your question, positive that he wouldn’t hear you.
Yet He responds, “I know exactly what sort of dirt and terrain this is.
I see exactly what kind of creatures are tending to your garden,
not all of them are good.
I know how the weather caters to the plants.
These plants are not sustainable.
They aren’t meant for this soil.”

You look at the plants you bought.
They’re wonderful …

Nah,
they look a little weird actually.
They looked better in the catalog you saw when you were younger.
But perhaps that’s just their own unique look.

You know,
for your garden,
that’s how they look.

They’re still prettier than the other plants.
They compliment the tree in the middle.

It’s fine…

It doesn’t seem fine anymore…

but if it wasn’t fine then you’d have nothing but desolation in your garden
so it has to be fine.

Some time passes.
Your arms are so heavy from working the grounds that almost no work gets done. A friend comes.
They compliment your garden and continue walking. 
The validation makes you smile.
Another friend visits, they sit with you to discuss life.
They glance at your garden,
notice some pests and ask if you’ve seen them before. 

You haven’t.

Your friend recites what the gardener says to do in these circumstances.
You stand stunned.

Did he ever say that to you?
Well, Maybe, but it feels much more real right now.
You ask for your friend’s help and uproot those plants.
The pests are gone and the other plants seem to be healthier.
Time to time, your friend shows up and waters some things.
Without realizing it, a weight has been lifted from your shoulders.

The Gardner visits again.
He notes the garden looks healthier.
He IS the whole reason it looks so good.
He smiles, and you can tell that He wants to do more.
Excitedly, you say yes to His silent question.

You’ve seen your friend’s garden. 
It’s magnificent. 
You’ve even received some fruit from them and it’s wonderful. 
So, perhaps he’ll plant a tree like that! 
You’ll have a wonderful fruit to offer people too! 

You ask him about it and he tells you that those plants are in your garden 
… but they have no way to grow. 
The plants you bought are taking their nutrients. 

Your face falls.

The gardener smiles gently. 
He leans in and tells you that the tree in the middle, 
Your prized tree that you’ve spent so much time tending to, 
This tree that you based your whole garden on
… Is not supposed to be there. 

You gaze at the garden, 
Imagining all that needs to be taken down. 

What would be left?

Dirt.

Maybe some tiny little flowers that would highlight just how much dirt there is…
Would you even have grass at that point? 
Even if you did, that isn’t a garden you deserve. 

It’s not the garden you imagined, 

it’s not the garden you worked towards, 

it’s certainly not the garden you want others to see.

“I can make a garden far superior.” He says
Yeah, that’s probably true. 
But then it isn’t your garden.

How long would that take anyway? 
It took you your whole life to reach this point and he wants to start over? 
You sigh. 
You’ve already said yes.

Ever so often there’s a tug of war that happens. 
He starts to put his hand on something and you object. 
He patiently listens to your concerns and reasons, 
says he understands 
and then asks if you trust him.

Do you?

…

Well.

During this time, the garden doesn’t look all that pretty. 
And yet,
There was something about it that puts you at ease. 
There are people that say that they liked the garden before and those words hurt a bit. 
You wonder if you made a good choice sometimes. 
But when you talk to the gardener, you think “I like this.” 
Even if it’s just a bit…

Sometimes, nothing seems to get done. 
You couldn’t recognize your garden anymore and it’s upsetting.
There have even been times where you plant an old flower, thinking 
“these other plants are stronger- this can go back 
and be pretty 
and not run wild and ruin everything.”

But it does indeed wreak havoc on the other plants in due time 
You relent, apologize to the gardener, and return to protocol

Your friends are excited about the renovations 
and helping tend the garden with you.
Sometimes they help when you’re asleep. 
Some friends who manage to catch a peek at the work in progress are amazed. For some reason, it looks a lot better to them than it does to you.

As things progress your chats with the gardener get longer, 
the range of topics become wider 
and the gardener is becoming more and more of a friend to you. 
You notice your smile changes. 
It still is your smile but it’s … different. 

You learn more and realize that the garden you originally had just wasn’t ideal. 
The weeds you once mistook for flowers get uprooted without a second thought.
You let more people see your garden, and as amazed as they are- you have to remind them (and yourself) that it’s a work in progress.
Even that tree in the middle. 
The one that was at the center and the highlight of your garden is different. 

The Gardener started to cut and snip different places at first. 
There was a point where he burned some parts. 
He said something about growth and it didn’t quite make sense to you… but it worked.
There was even a point where it looked like the tree was completely uprooted…
But he says that he was the first one who planted that tree 
and that he needed to make some adjustments for it to grow the way he intended. 

You’ve come to appreciate the tree even more than the first time… 
Although it isn’t always easy to accept. 

But even when you found yourself doubting the gardener, 
He kept showing up. 

One day he looks over to you. 
You pause. 

“I want to do something.”
He doesn’t explain what it is. 

You look at your garden 
Which now bears fruit that you can hand out to any and everybody that needs it.
You look at the stream that delicately runs throughout the garden. 
Somehow he still isn’t done with your garden. 

And…Something about that excites you.

There’s a lot of work to do but He’s right beside you- He’s not going anywhere
As you look at Him you see His eyes are like fire
Your heart starts to burn with passion
So with little to no hesitation, you say ‘alright’ 

and he smiles at you and returns to work.