When God created man and woman, the first task he gave them was to tend the beautiful garden he had created for them. So gardening, or farming, is in fact the "oldest profession." (I don't know how that phrase got perverted--but I digress.) Imagine God's delight in showing Adam how to turn up the rich soil, and to plant the tiny seeds, and to see to it they got just the right amount of sunlight and water to grow into beautiful plants. The colorful and fragrant flowers. The tall trees whose shade shielded them from the sun, and whose fruit was good for food, and whose leaves were good for healing. Yes: sickness may have been a result of the fall, but Adam could have cut himself while tilling the ground, or he may have had sore muscles at the end of the day; God may have taken delight in showing Adam how to make a poultice from leaves and mud, or how certain leaves could be consumed for their anti-inflammatory properties.
Everything God wanted us to have was available. Everything a man needs--food (for provision), shelter (for protection), and work (for productivity)--was right there. Everything a woman needs--God (for comfort), a family (for companionship), and a stable home life (for commitment). Right there, in the garden He had placed them in. His first command was to tend it.
Want to see how we are made in the image of God? Isaiah 5:7 says, "The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the garden of His delight." Even after the Fall, His purpose is to tend to our needs.
Discontentment comes from not tending our garden. Let me show you what I mean. Each of us has been given a number of tasks to accomplish in life. You may be married, and need to tend to your mate and cultivate that relationship. You may have children, and need to raise them to be fruitful and productive. You may be a missionary, in a sense, and be tasked with spreading the Gospel--"I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow." (1 Corinthians 3:6). You may have a career, or at least a job that pays your bills. If you treat each task as a garden to be tended, you will be much more content and satisfied. You will be blessed beyond measure.
Unfortunately, sin creeps in and starts to corrupt and decay. Neglect of your garden allows the fruit to rot on the vine. Weeds creep in. Suddenly, the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, and you begin to covet someone else's garden. The words you speak begin to be caustic and cutting, poisoning the garden rather than fertilizing it. This could happen in your job, making you miserable at work. It could happen at home, making you want to be somewhere else. You may wander into a watering hole, where you can complain loudly and obnoxiously to the bartender, or you may seek to trample in somebody else's garden.
My first marriage failed after four years. I did not tend my garden at home, and it died of neglect. Not only that, but I did not learn from my mistakes, because when I married my current wife, I continued my bad habits. I did not heed the warning of Proverbs 5:15, "Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well." Eventually, she had enough and she threw me out. I was banished from my own home, "set outside the camp" due to my uncleanness. For the second time in my life, I had a failed marriage. But by God's mercy, I grew. By God's grace, we reconciled. When we remarried each other, I was seeking help from a professional Christian counselor. At one session, I remember the counselor telling me, "Blynn, your marriage is like a garden. You need to spend a lot of time and effort tending it. The word 'husband' is from the same root word as 'husbandman', or one who tends to a vine. If you want to enjoy the sweet fruit of your relationship, you must build a wall around it, and protect it from intruders. This could be your friends or your family--anyone who offers to help, but instead ends up criticizing your garden. If you don't maintain that wall of protection, somebody can come and tromp through your garden, damaging the vines you so tenderly planted and so lovingly nurture." I'll never forget that advice. Song of Solomon 4:12 says, "You are a garden locked up, my sister, my bride; you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain."
The point is this: God has assigned you a garden, maybe more than one. It may be your job. Do not have the attitude of, "My boss doesn't know what she is talking about". There is an old truism, "Don't bite the hand that feeds you." It is true of your employer. If the only words you speak about your work situation are complaints, then that is all you see. When you start looking for faults, you will find them. Complaining won't make the situation any better; it's like pouring kerosene on the ground and then complaining that the grass died.
The same is true with your relationships. Your children will not be encouraged if you always find fault with them. Your marriage could be a deep well of cool and cleansing water if you don't constantly throw mud at it. And complaining to a friend about your spouse's shortcomings invites that friend to come knock down your fence, your wall of protection and tromp all over your garden. I speak to myself here, as well.
I have recently taken a new job. I love it. The people are nice, the facility is wonderful, and I feel valued. My prayer is that when the "honeymoon period" is over, I will still find ways to love my job. My wife frequently reminds me that I am not the center of anybody's universe. "You need them; they do not need you," she says. And it is true. God puts us in situations for His glory. How can He be glorified if I bring sin into the garden He has given me to tend? Adam discovered the consequences of that--he was banished from Eden forever.
But by the grace of God, we will one day be witness to a New Heaven and a New Earth. We will tend the New Garden with glorified bodies. He will one day restore what was lost through sin. "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Revelation 21:4). Even now, Lord Jesus, come quickly!
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