Focus: Spiritual Horticulture (Pt.1)

Text: Song of Sol.5:1

"I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse."

Spouses are each other's garden. Marital bliss is God's design. This garden is not a place, but a person. 

The groom says about the bride, "A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed" (Song of Sol.4:12). She is a garden with walls, not an open or exposed garden. She is an exclusive possession of her man, and well protected. She is a sealed spring - a locked up fountain. She has hidden treasures yet to be explored and enjoyed. She is a kind of human padlock; a key is required to unlock her. 

In verse 16, the bride prays, "Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out…" She then calls out to her lover, "Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits." There are flowers in her garden that release sweet fragrances. Sweet spices are contained in her, and she possesses pleasant fruits - edible and tasty fruits. All she needs to yield her best is the wind - the sweet and cool breeze of love and romance. She is a well prepared and packaged delicacy, and a sumptuous meal for her man - anytime, anywhere, any day.

She says, "My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies" (6:2). The experience is exhilarating, the sweetness is unending, and the joy is boundless and contagious. Marital bliss is best described as heaven on earth. In verse 4, she says, "I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley, and to see whether the vine flourished, and the pomegranates budded." The man and the woman have so much to explore and enjoy in each other. 

Just strike that deep cord of love, understanding and respect, and you will experience wonders untold.

Sow the seeds of love into your garden, and you will reap bountiful harvests of peace and joy. Get involved in spiritual horticulture. Cultivate your garden and enjoy the benefits of your labor. To be each other's garden, you must be determined to be each other's gardener. As it is in marriage, so it is in friendship and other relationships. If you care for your garden, you will never regret it. Indeed, you will enjoy it.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter