January 23

The Garden Of The Cross

Now there was a garden in the place where Jesus was crucified, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. — John 19:41 BSB

Paradise was lost in a garden, and it was regained in a garden! As Jesus died for humanity's redemption, the flowers of spring offered their silent praise around the Cross, a reminder that He, their Creator, had given them their beauty.

Nature’s unchanging rhythm continues through all the seasons—spring with its green, summer with its glory, autumn with its gold—undisturbed by human suffering. Sometimes, nature’s indifference can seem harsh, as though it has no sympathy for our struggles. Yet it is comforting to know that while our tears and struggles are fleeting, nature’s order reflects the foundation of the new heaven and earth we await. There were flowers at the foot of the Savior’s Cross, and they have bloomed at the foot of every cross since His.

Where there is a cross, there will be a garden. But the cross must be borne in the right spirit. We must suffer for others, not for ourselves, and we must accept suffering silently, taking the cup from the Father's hand, even if it is presented by a Judas. Those who truly suffer for others’ salvation never speak of it to anyone but God. When we suffer for others, crucifying our own selfishness, a garden will bloom in our souls.

Set up a Calvary in your heart, and let the cross there be a splinter from Christ’s Cross. Bring your self-love, your ambitions, and your pride, and nail them to the Cross of Jesus. Leave them there, and watch as the garden of your character blossoms with the rarest and sweetest flowers. If the world shuns you, if you walk through life unappreciated, remember that the Lord Jesus will walk with you in the garden of your soul, as He did in Paradise.

Prayer

Your heart is a garden God has sown,
To give your life the work it needed.
Some day He'll come to pluck His flowers,
So mind you keep your garden weeded.