“Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.”
Genesis 2:1-3
I’m sitting at my computer, next to an open window, enjoying what promises to be a beautiful, almost-spring day. Right now, at 8:24 in the morning, the temperature is 56 degrees, the sky is clear, and the winds are out of the southeast at fourteen miles per hour. Thankfully, the humidity is much higher today than it was yesterday when the drier air and gusting winds stirred up grass fires in the little town of Rhome just southwest of us. It is a lovely Sabbath!
You may wonder how I can observe Shabbat by writing an entry in my blog. The primary requirement for observing the Sabbath is to rest from one’s regular work (Leviticus 23:3). Since my “regular work” revolves around the needs of my home, family, and church, then writing about the garden definitely falls into the category of appropriate Sabbath behavior! Talking about, writing about, and working in the garden bring me great joy, and that’s what Shabbat is all about: taking the time out of our busy schedule to truly enjoy God’s abundant blessings.
Now that the garden site is cleaned up, the next step is to lay out the location of the twelve tribes and connect them with pathways. At the same time, we will start planting trees and preparing bedding areas, then select places throughout the garden for seating and arbors. This is the part of the process that requires the most patience for me since I am always so eager to get plants in the ground! But, I’m trying to control myself and not fill my truck up with plants from the nursery before they have a place to call home.
Starting Monday I will be sharing the vision for each tribe’s section of the garden. As I said in my Groundwork post, the Lord first planted the concept for this garden in my heart back in 2007. The first place I went for inspiration was the web site of Neot Kedumim, the Biblical Plant Reserve in Israel. Whenever you have the time, go visit the site and take the virtual tour. One of these days I am going for the actual tour. In the meantime, I’ll be busy in Corinth!
Shabbat shalom.