Bible Reading: Galatians 5:22-26; Colossians 1:9-14
"This is the prettiest flower garden I've ever seen!" said Nia.
Grandma looked up from her weeding. "I enjoy it too. When it's nice outside, I spend time almost every day watering, weeding, or transplanting something. It's a lot of work, but worth it." She smiled as she pulled a weed out of the dirt. "It reminds me of my life as a Christian."
"It does?" asked Nia. "Why?"
"Well, for one thing, weeds in my life can grow as quickly as weeds in my flower bed," replied Grandma.
"Weeds in your life?" asked Nia. "You mean things like problems? Like when people are nasty or you get sick or somebody you love dies?"
"Yes," said Grandma. "We experience all kinds of difficult and painful situations, and if we're not careful, they can cause us to become angry, bitter, and unforgiving. Those attitudes are like weeds with very long roots. The weeds in my garden would take over if I let them, and the weeds in my life would too."
"So how do you get rid of them?" asked Nia.
"Well, I like to think of the time I spend with Jesus as His weeding and watering time for my life," replied Grandma. "Praying, reading my Bible, going to church--those are all ways to learn more about Jesus and what He wants for me."
"I try to pray and read my Bible and listen in church," said Nia. "But sometimes it's hard."
Grandma nodded. "Sometimes I don't feel like working in my garden," she said. "But then I remember how important it is for my flowers and do it anyway, and once I get my hands in the dirt, I often find it to be a pure joy."
"So can you make flowers grow in your life by doing those things like you do in your garden?" asked Nia.
"Well, God makes the flowers grow, not me--in both my garden and my life," said Grandma. "But I can give the flowers in my life--the Bible calls them the fruit of the Spirit--a good place to grow by spending time with Jesus so I have the strength to handle any weedy situations that come along. It's well worth the effort."
–Rosalie J. Currier
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