The Beautiful Exchange

I write a lot about vegetable gardening. There’s a beautiful exchange that happens in my garden. I nurture my plants by tending to their soil conditions and protecting them from insects and other harmful things. I water their roots and occasionally give them plant food. I prune their leaves to encourage extra growth in some of their small places.

And then one day, the beautiful exchange happens.

My plants begin to nurture me. They begin to show signs of their fruits. Soon the fruits are full and favorable for picking and for eating. They are packed with nutrients that when consumed become lifesaving and life sustaining.

Tending to my gardening, at a deeper level, is a metaphor for my life and for my spiritual walk with God.

Psalm 23 is probably the most known scripture in the bible. I would guess that if any verses in the bible were to be memorized, this collection would be it. Fact - I don’t think I have ever attended a religious funeral where Psalm 23 was not read. That smacked me in the head… we wait for the end of life to savor these beautifully comforting words and we miss the present moment to be guided by the Good Shepherd on this side of the living.

So, I nudge you to take a deeper look at Psalm 23 with me. Let’s walk beside still waters for a moment and tend our gardens together…

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want (KJV - King James version)

When the Lord is my shepherd, I am tended to. And I feel it with assurance. I feel rooted; the soil around me is good and it creates an environment where I can grow. How about you? When God is the focus of your life, do you feel tended to? A soul that is tended to is a soul that is satisfied. I shall not want because I have what I need.

He lets me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters (CSV - Christian Standard version)

It’s an interesting choice of words in the Christian Standard bible. He LETS me lie down vs the KJV where it says He MAKES me lie down. There have been times in my life where I felt that God made me lay down to rest, but I like that the CSB presents it as a freedom, a choice. Regardless of what version, the meaning is the same…there is rest to be found in the Lord AND rest will be found in the most ideal places when we let Him lead us there– green pastures! Not brown or dirt pastures full of weeds and misery but green, lush, vibrant pastures.

And then the quiet waters. Have you ever enjoyed the soothing sounds of a nearby trickling fountain? Many sleep apps use the sound of water to relax their listener and I think about the restful way that water quiets me . Quiet waters are also approachable as there are no fears of being overtaken by rapids and under current. These are the thoughts that are summoned when I meditate on verse two in Psalm 23. I think about closing my mind to the troubles around me; being refreshed by the sounds of gently moving water and being able to approach God in a way that is slow and genuine and quiet. God is my living water.

He restores my soul and leads me in the paths of righteousness for his namesake (NIV – New International version)

-Taking a shower after working in the yard on a hot and humid Tennessee day.

-Gulping cold water after a long and spirited workout.

-Slithering into my bed that has been made with freshly laundered and crisp bed sheets.

-Sitting by the ocean at sunset and watching the waves come and go.

-Taking a mountain summit after a strenuous climb and battling through thoughts of quitting.

-Sitting in the middle of a cold mountain stream as the water flows right and left around me.

-Fireside in late evening while the dew begins to fall, and the tree frogs sing a night song.

These are the practical things that restores my body, but soul restoration requires me to sit in resting time with the Lord.

This is how He restores my soul:

-Daily prayer time to God and giving Him my fears, doubts, struggles and dreams.

-Daily quiet time where I simply listen and wait to hear God’s voice.

-Daily bible reading. The bible is full of stories that are timeless and relatable.

-Being a blessing to a friend in their time of need.

-Cuddling an infant.

-Deep and purposeful conversations with my husband and our children.

-Playing with our grandsons.

A soul rested in the Lord will be restored to strength and will be led to virtuous things for God’s glory. We will be surrounded by goodness when we rest in the Lord. We will see it in the goodness of people who pour into us. The goodness of favor. The goodness of blessings and being able to be a blessing to others. The fruit that we bear. The lives that we live.

David wrote this psalm as a sheep being led by the Good Shepherd and it’s a great analogy to living a God filled life but I, a gardener, wrote this to portray God as the Good Gardener. I am writing these words on my life as I pray this to be the way He tends to me…..

The Lord is my gardener, I shall not want. He lets me stand tall in the soil of goodness. He nourishes my leaves with the dew of gladness. He feeds me with cool waters. Even when I go through the storms, he makes my stalks and branches strong to sustain the powering winds. I will fear nothing. Only goodness and faithful love will be my caretakers and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for as long as I live. -LABonning

Psalm 23 is in the front of the bible so why save it for the end? Let’s read it, pray it, recite it daily and meditate on the comforting words. It will polish our weary souls. It will give us hope that we can endure all things. We will bear good fruit when the Good Shepherd is tending and the Good Gardener is pruning.

Verses 4 through 6 CSB version:

Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows.

Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live.