Psalm 20

Psalm 20

On this beautiful morning, watching as the rainbow fades, I see a bright figure bouncing along one of the many paths tracing their way across the meadow. I have trod them well, and know the heartbreak that is at the end of many of them, but I have never met this particular individual that I spy on her way toward my garden. I would have thought it a chance happening, but the way she barreled directly toward my garden told me this was no mere chance: she was heading for my garden, both eyes firmly locked upon me. Even from a distance I could hear her humming something cheerful to match a perfect morning. My spirit was lifted by her mere presence near my garden. I moved toward the gate to welcome her.

“Good morning!” She didn’t so much speak as sing her words, a voice as beautiful as I have ever imagined.
I opened my mouth to reply, but she did not hesitate to hear my words and instead carried on.

“I have no garden of my own; it is my destiny, it was explained to me, that I traverse this swath of God’s creation and notice how the gardens here are tended. I expect you do not recognize me; neither do I recognize you, but I know this garden well. Perhaps I should say that I know this place well; the garden I do not know well. I have passed many times by this meadow, always pausing to drink in the rich beauty that God has planted here. It is magnificent. Unfortunately, I never found you tending to the beauty planted here, and I merely assumed you were traipsing around the chaos that lurks everywhere. I cannot say how delighted I am to see your gloves stained with earth, how wondrous it is to see a pile of weeds beyond the boundary of your garden, how it makes my heart leap with joy to notice upset soil along the fenceline.”

I again moved to interrupt her to explain my journey, but was once again reminded that my part in this conversation was not a speaking one.

“Seeing you here, I will say this to you: May the God of our fathers bless this place with more sunshine than it could hope for. May the God of our mothers send gentle rains to nourish the beauty within this fence. May your days in this place be fulfilling and tiring. May you explore with wonder the depth and breadth of the love of God. May you learn the path to your faithful neighbors’ gardens well, and may they trod upon the ground to find and support you. May your hours of labor in this place be well-spent, leaving you breathless, exhausted, and thrilled with the chance to garden in the presence of such beauty. May the sun upon your back warm your soul, and the bench beneath your back grant you rest. May the Lord hold the forest at bay as he has promised, sending blooms to the wildflowers in the meadow to remind you that his love is abundant, and there is more grace than you can use. May the weeds come up easily, and may the roses here bloom with such wild abundance that you never forget there is a God who loves you freely, fiercely, wildly. May you know that each whispered prayer is heard by the ears of God, and may this sanctuary be your dwelling place forever, wrapped in the arms of God.”

Had I wanted to respond, only my heart could have begun to speak in response to such wondrous words. Instead I merely listened to her words, time and time again as they played within my mind. I felt them reverberate from every part of my being as she retreated by another way. My heart burned within as I thanked God for this tremendous blessing. May all my days remind me of such grace and wonder.