THE GARDENER

 

 

“An anonymous text from the Tradition says that, in life, each person can take one of two attitudes: to build or to plant. The builders might take years over their tasks, but one day they finish what they are doing. Then they find they’re hemmed in by their own walls. Life loses its meaning when the building stops.

“Then there are those who plant. They endure storms and all the many vicissitudes of the seasons, and they rarely rest. But, unlike a building, a garden never stops growing. And while it requires the gardener’s constant attention, it also allows life for the gardener to be a great adventure. Gardeners always recognize each other because they know that in the history of each plant lies the growth of the whole World.”

-        Paulo Coelho, “Brida”

My daughter is a florist. She gives me bouquets of exquisite blooms. I have them in my bedroom where I can see them the most. My bedroom is where I spend most of my time. This is where I study and write.

I am not a gardener but I love the flowers that grace my bedroom and I often wonder what it takes to grow the dahlias that I constantly admire. I cannot imagine how barren this world would be without flowers.

How clever God must have been to grace this planet with beauty. I think of Him as the ultimate gardener but with a difference. I think of Him as the Gardener of each soul who has ever lived because we, like plants, have within us the growth of the whole world.

God makes out of some of us a rose, and some a daffodil, and some a geranium. I am amazed how some of us are sturdy flowers who survive the harshest weather and some die out during the first frost of the season. And then some of us, as delicate as we appear, push through the clumps of snow to herald the start of spring.

I like to think I am one of the sturdy flowers because He has pruned me and nurtured me through the harshest storms….but deep down I want to be a beautiful flower in the end that can bring not only growth but also beauty to the world. He knows this is my desire and so He keeps pruning….

I think of that every time I look at the dahlias in my bedroom.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Divine Gardener by Greg Collins)

THE WORTH OF A SOUL

 

When God the Father showed Enoch His corrupted children that would be swept away in the flood, He wept at the loss (Moses 7:28). Enoch was beyond perplexed when he considered that God would sorrow over a ‘handful’ of His children compared to the immensity of His creations (v 29-31). The Father simply answered that these His children were ‘the workmanship” of His own hands (v 32). The dictionary defines ‘workmanship’ as ‘the product or result of labour and skill, or work executed’.

We are told the worth of a soul is great in the eyes of God (D&C 17:10). What does that exactly mean? Does it mean our worth is great simply because we are the offspring of Deity who loves us? Well, it would seem there is more to it than that. If ‘workmanship’ insinuates investment of labour and skill, the worth cannot be purely in the birth alone. To arrive at the estimate of the worth, consider all the ‘work’ that went into the making of YOU: 1. Your spiritual creation which depended on the Father’s rise to Godhood; 2. Your spiritual tutoring for eons of time; 3. The creation of the earth for your mortality; 4. Overseeing of your earthly tutoring; 5. Preparation of kingdoms for your eternal destination; 6. The redemption of your soul through sacrifice of another. Now think of the scale of guidance, protection, care, overseeing, anguish and sorrow of your Heavenly Parents, the Holy Ghost, your guardian angels, your ancestors, your departed loved ones and all the hosts of heaven who know you….and not just what others have put into you but what you have put into yourself….and not just in this life but before you even came here. Consider the following:

“During the ages in which we dwelt in the pre-mortal state we not only developed our various characteristics and showed our worthiness and ability, or the lack of it, but we were also where such progress could be observed…..The heavenly beings were living in a perfectly arranged society. Every person knew his place…..Ordinances pertaining to that pre-existence were required and the love of God prevailed. Under such conditions it was natural for our Father to discern and choose those who were most worthy and evaluate the talents of each individual. He knew not only what each of us COULD do, but also what each of us WOULD do when put to the test and when responsibility was given us” (Joseph Fielding Smith, The Way to Perfection, pp 50-51)

“In the prior life, we developed various capacities and talents. Some developed them in one field and some in another. The most important of all fields was the field of spirituality, the ability, the talent, the capacity to recognise truth” (Bruce R. McConkie, When Thou Art Converted, Strengthen Thy Brethren, A Study Guide for the Priesthood Quorums of the Church, 1974-75, pp 8-9). This spiritual development was not only important for our own salvation but for others. Abraham confirmed this when he spoke about all the great and noble intelligences that were organised before the world was (Abraham 3:22-23). Joseph F. Smith spoke of the many others besides the prophets who received their first lessons in the world of spirits to prepare them for the work of salvation in this life (D&C 138:55,56).

Obviously, we achieved a lot before we were even born into mortality. What price would you put to all the work that you put into you and the investment of others into you??? I know two things:  the price would be higher than we can possibly imagine; and I know who paid it.

Surely Christ’s supreme sacrifice for all mankind is the crescendo of all the work invested into each soul ever born on this earth, of every creed, of every colour, of every nation. The Atonement is the crowning glory of the work that has gone into you and me. All the prior work that had been put into us would be in vain if there was no Atonement, and even more importantly, there would be no future for any of us, and the future is what counts, because it ensures our rightful place in the eternal scheme of things. It completes the Plan, it ensures the success of the Plan, it validates the ‘workmanship’ and preserves its value. So with all the labour, material, and struggle that has gone into your creation and development, how much do you think your soul is worth?

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Worth Of A Soul by Liz Lemon Swindle)

THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED

 

I am amazed how opposition in this life serves a noble purpose, a purpose to lift us out of the comfort zone so we can become greater than what we are. I have been through a situation in my life that has repeated itself over and over seeking my attention to walk the higher road in life, a road I know will propel me to climb another rung on the ladder of my personal growth. Sometimes things have to get really uncomfortable before we recognize this is what is happening. We tend to see adverse situations in our lives as unwelcome adversity that is meant to give us experience of sorrow and grief so that we will know happiness when it comes along. This is true of mortality, and this knowledge most of the time seems to  satisfy us,  however, the higher road is paved with recognition that the adverse situation is offering a learning moment needed to affect change. As Robert Frost said: I took the road less travelled and that has made all the difference…..

 

It is easy to wallow in the comfort zone, even if it is not the ideal situation for us. To reach higher and change things can be overwhelming, especially when we have placed limitations on ourselves. However, faith in God should have no limitations because God is not a god of limits. The universe is His for the giving. 

 

If God’s work and His glory is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man (Moses 1:39), how can He possibly have limits on what He can do with us? His part is to raise us up and our part is to elevate ourselves on the wings of faith to qualify for the rising. That means faith without works is dead. Becoming one of the greats is a partnership. 

 

God will very seldom give us blessings that we do not have to earn through our works and our faith. If He did, we would not require stretching and would become gods solely on His efforts. Can you imagine gods devoid of self-discipline, power, endurance, wisdom, knowledge, experience? All these things are ours for the taking in this life, if we will embrace the power of opposition in mortality to elevate us to higher ground.  Acceptance is everything.

 

A river of peace floods my mortal being;

I struggle to contain such a merciful gift.

With grace You enlarge 

the sparse capacity of my heart

And righteousness moves within me 

as the waves of the sea.

I love You more dearly;

I serve you more freely;

I become what I alone could never be.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Danny Hahlbohm)