where waves grow sweet

When we bought our home four years ago, I launched whole-heartedly into gardening. It wasn’t something I’d ever done before so I was pretty clueless about which plants would work best in the soil, lighting and space that we had. What was even harder for me was being able to envision what would look the most beautiful in the different areas of our yard. So I bought a bit of every flowering thing, planting it before adding some more and then some more, resulting in a bit of an overcrowded floral circus. The whole process was a joy, but it definitely had the flair of an amateur gardener. 

Over the course of time, that has changed a little. While still an amateur, I’m increasingly drawn to the idea of self-restraint, valuing the impact of fewer colors or types of plants over the impulse to include every pretty thing I see at the nursery. Maybe, at least in part, it’s been from observing well-designed gardens that draw me in. They all seem to carry a sense of balance, beauty and purpose, established not only by the elements the designer (or gardener) chose to include, but by what they chose to leave out. Some of these gardens take my breath away by the striking play of shape and texture or the nuanced shades of a color that would have been lost with less intentional restraint. 

Recently, I was looking out at my favorite part of our whole property (one for which I can take no credit): A simple green hedge of privet and boxwood that sits beyond the pool, in front of a white fence and neighboring trees (plus a few power lines to keep it real), and something struck me. Were I to have been given the freedom to design me, I would have included something beautiful from every aisle to establish an impressive persona that used every square inch of real estate… with the flair of a true amateur who always thinks more is better. God chose instead a design of simplicity that would serve the purpose of revealing His own beauty; one with balance and harmony that I, as His creation, would have the privilege of reflecting. 

I often resented Him for this design but can see now that He wanted my life to be a resting place for the eyes of a people who have been daily assaulted by the self-glorying “more” of the world. He was very intentional about what He included in me, and very intentional about what He left out. It may not always look beautiful or complete to me, maybe because some elements are still in the process of growing in or because I’ve compared myself to others and felt lacking, but He made me and He called it good. And He’s the best of the best so who am I to argue? He also made you and called it good. So let’s rest in His design and let our lives grow into the fullness of it.

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well. Psalm 139:13-14