About This Love Online

Sometimes, we can easily miss the ever present revelation on a matter. This is a story about a summer spent with my husband, Dale in our little townhouse yard. The excitement of buying a new home motivated us to enhance our outdoor space, making it a beautiful and inviting area for ourselves and our friends.

With enthusiasm and a bit of financial commitment, we invested in some nice patio furniture, lounging chairs, and a rug for our petite front porch. Despite the yard’s small size, it made a powerful impact. Friends came over to help, and it was all hands on deck. A friend assisted me in picking out beautiful flowers and assortments for our small side garden, while Dale gathered the bricks we needed to make the yard aesthetically pleasing.

That summer, it seemed like we were outside every day, watering and tending to our yard. By mid to late summer, our outdoor space had flourished into a beautiful, comfortable area that we enjoyed, along with our frequent visitors.

The following year was a bit different. We had another baby, and with two children under the age of two and three kids altogether, our responsibilities kept us indoors more often. Although we planted perennials, expecting them to return, we didn’t tend to them as diligently. We believed our yard would bounce back on its own, so we did significantly less work than the previous year. Some days barely even stepping outside on the porch to grab our mail however when we did there seemed to be signs of life from our garden.

It was mid to late summer before we realized our mistake. What we thought were the flourishing plants from the previous year were actually big, poisonous weeds. These weeds had deep roots that choked out all the plants we had painstakingly planted.

As I reflect on that summer while getting back into yard work this year, I recognized a parallel with our marriage. In marriage, just like in gardening, initial efforts and foundations are crucial. However, if we neglect the continuous care and assume everything will run smoothly, we might find something growing that looks thriving but is not what we planted.

In our marriage, we planted foundational elements early on. But if we let it run on autopilot, thinking our initial work was enough, we might end up with unwanted issues taking root and eventually taking over. It’s important not to wait until it’s too late to address these issues.

Yes, with God’s help, anything can be redeemed, and we believe in His power to restore. However, it would have been much easier to address the weeds when we first noticed them, rather than letting them grow and cause more damage.

This experience taught us that in both gardening and marriage, constant attention and care are essential. Asking for help when needed, whether from friends who helped us initially or to look after the children while we worked together, could make a significant difference.

In Ephesians 5, God calls us to work on our marriage, to uproot the bad weeds and replant good seeds that will help our marriage garden flourish, becoming lush, green, and bountiful once again.

Just as a garden needs consistent care to thrive, so does a marriage. Neglect can lead to unwanted growth, but with effort, attention, and sometimes a little help, we can maintain a beautiful and flourishing relationship.