| Garden of the Heart |
Chapter 1 |
Page 7 |
What month is it in which we are living today? We say it is October. But is it really October in the calendar of our spiritual life? October is the time of ripe fruitfulness. The farmers are celebrating Harvest Homes and gathering in the products of the summer. October means ripeness. But is it October in our life? Is it really past March yet? March is the month of bare trees, unopened buds, imprisoned beauty, and slumbering life. Is it March, or is it October with us? If it is only March, shall we not pray for the winds of God to blow upon us that the spices of our garden may flow out?
“Dear Lord, the withered garden in my heart
Lies parched and dead, cursed by the subtilty
Of this beguiling world’s prosperity.
The burdened clouds of heavenly grace depart,
Ere to my dying soul they life impart, –
And I am left in sin’s satiety,
Mocked with the worthless joys of vanity.
Oh, turn Thine eye on me, and let the dart
Of Thy restoring love, with power unspent,
Strike inward, till my quickened life shall show
The fruit of grace divine, whose sweet descent
Shall wake my field. O winds of God, now blow
Till with your breath my grateful praise is blent,
While spices from my garden overflow.”
Page 7