You should stop by and smell my roses!

     My yards are in full bloom and have been for some time.  When I planted my flowering plants I did so in such a fashion that my yards would be blooming from roughly March to November.  First the crocuses, then the daffodils, followed by the tulips.  Next to bloom are the lilacs which actually are now blooming for a second time!  The yucca bloomed wonderfully and right now the dahlias' and Rose of Sharon are blooming.  Quite the display and yet there is more.  My Iris' are blooming and the azalea just finished.  The variety of colors is wonderful!  I love the transitions that take place and the pace at which they entertain us. 
     I'm often reminded of the old saying: "Stop and smell the roses." So, I try to do this often.  I have 8 rose bushes of different colors.  There is one caution I learned a long time ago from a news article.  Look before you smell or you might just inhale a bee that's working the same flower.  You don't want to do that!  The ramifications of neglecting this one small step can make smelling the roses to "hating the roses!"  Or at least hating bees.  So, we would do well to stop, look, and then smell.
     It's pretty much that way in the world that we live in.  Failing to stop, look, and smell can get us into fruit and vegetables that are too ripe or not ripe enough.  This example also applies to many different scenarios.  We need to stop and listen when we encounter someone saying things that are not true.  The Bible says we need to recognize the frauds and religious lies.  To the Christian they smell bad as well.  Testing what is being presented in this way helps us to stay out of the snares of the enemy.  Though my garden has lots of beautiful wonderfully smelling flowers; the roses have thorns.  The flowers often have bees on them.  I have dogs and if you don't look where you are going, you may have smelly shoes. 
     As wonderful as my landscape is; there are still requirements on my part to help it stay that way.  I still have to water regularly, different for different plants.  Some take more and some take less.  I still need to fertilize and mulch around these plants.  I still need to trim and shape the various bushes.  I still need to sit down, relax, and smell the roses.  You see, life is composed of vision, work, and rest.  Rewards come through seeing the product at the completion point.  Resting gives us a chance to see what God has been doing in our lives and is currently doing.  It's also a time where we can rest and listen to the next task we need to do.  Whether that be gardening or life, we have choices to make.  Perhaps life is gardening in the sense that it reworks our life (sanctification).
     Finally, there are the critics.  Some would say I have to many flowering plants.  Yet others would say I have too few.  My grass is/isn't good enough.  I should have fertilized/not fertilized.  The list goes on and on.  Here is the key for me.  I don't do this for people.  I do my gardening as a gift God has given to me.  The chance to create something pleasing to not only His sight but also mine.  Last winter quite a number of my dahlias froze and didn't surface in the spring.  So, I had to get a bunch of new plants.  When God asks us to give up something in our life; he is already putting something new in place.  Our job is to take a moment and rest so He can do his work.  I confess that I haven't done that regularly over time.  There are times when my own garden stunk! 
     Go and tend to your garden today.  Make it something that people can enjoy.  Make it a sanctuary and something pleasing to God.  Then remember to rest.