Just after the end of World War II, a U.S. Army officer and his wife were stationed in Japan. The country had been devastated by the war. The post-war economy was in shambles. Unemployment approached sixty percent.

People came to the Army wife's door daily looking for work. One man said that he could do wonders for her garden if she would only give him a chance. So, for the first time in her life, this young Army wife hired a gardener. He spoke no English, but the wife, through sign language and pencil and paper gave him instructions about where to plant, prune, and pamper her garden. He listened politely and followed her instructions exactly. The garden emerged as the finest in the neighborhood.

After a time, the woman began to realize that her new gardener knew far more about the matter than she did, so she stopped giving him directions and let him freely care for the garden. It was magnificent.

Then one day the gardener came with an interpreter who expressed the appreciation but the regrets of the gardener. "He will no longer be able to care for your garden. He must leave."

The wife expressed her sorrow over his departure and thanked him through the interpreter for making hers such a fine garden. Out of politeness, she asked the interpreter, "Where is he going?"

The interpreter replied that the gardener was returning to his old job as the Professor of Horticulture at the University of Tokyo.

Imagine the look that must have been on that Army wife's face when she discovered that her gardener was a university professor of horticulture. No wonder he knew so much about gardening!

How often have I given instruction to Jesus on the care and feeding of my soul? How many times have I attempted to tell Him where to prune and where not to prune? How much better to allow the Master Gardener of Souls to freely care for the garden of my life! The results are far superior when I trust Him to do as He pleases with my life.

With Love

Mike