Beauty in the Midst of Wild Things

I was instantly enthralled with the garden outside our local library the first time I saw it over two years ago. With varying shades of green and vibrant pops of yellow, orange, and red flowers mixed throughout it, my oldest son and I soon found ourselves walking along one of the dirt-packed pathways, where we watched butterflies flutter by and saw lizards scurrying about as they looked for a place to hide.

Our short journey took us further into the garden and to a wooden bench where we rested for a short while under the covering of shrubs and trees. That day, the garden felt magical to me, as if there were secrets within to discover and behold. Although I have not spent much time in that garden since then due to the often-insufferable Texas heat, my children and I still generally take the garden path that leads to the library whenever we go. And we still see the butterflies and pops of color as the lizards scurry below.

As winter gave way to spring this year, I noticed how much the garden had been neglected during one library visit. Weeds covered the walkways, and the shrubs were overgrown into a tangled mess. It was sad to see what had become of it. We didn’t take the garden path that time. We couldn’t with everything so overgrown. With my oldest son busy with school and my own busyness after having begun a part-time job later that spring, we didn’t make it to the library much after that. We’ve been to the library a few times this summer, however, and the most recent time we went, I noticed that the garden looked less unkempt this time. Someone had trimmed back the plants a bit, and although the weeds were still running wild, there weren’t as many. The garden was starting to get the care it needed.

Although I do not know if the garden will ever be restored to its former glory, I see the beauty of it in this stage—in the midst of wild things. The trees and shrubs are still vibrant alongside the pops of color from the flowers. And the butterflies are still enjoying this garden along with the lizards that find shelter under the shrubs. There is beauty in the life that is teeming within this place. The wildness and weeds haven’t taken away from that. But I also see the beauty of this place because I know what this garden once was and what it could once again be. It has a lot of potential. With the right care, this garden could become a place of solace once again with areas to explore and secrets to unfold.

When I think about the garden in this way, I recognize how good it would do me to view people like this, especially the ones that are rough around the edges—the wild ones.

We all have inherent value and beauty because we were created in God’s image. But how much potential we all have to become even more lovely when we surrender to our Maker and allow Him to prune and weed us, planting seeds in us that will ultimately cause us to look more like Him!

I want the garden at our local library to represent that to me. I want to see people through the lens in which God sees them. And, in recognizing their potential, particularly for the ones that are a little harder to love naturally, I want to find myself showing greater compassion and kindness to them. To see their value and realize what a treasure they are to God. Because ultimately, we are all gardens in progress. So, let’s express God’s love to each other, asking Him to help us to further surrender to the work of His hands as He tends to the garden that is our lives.

He has made everything beautiful in its time.”

Ecclesiastes 3:11a