It is the time of year when everything is starting to turn green. Spring is in the air with warmer temperatures and beautiful sunny afternoons. This is also the time of year that the outdoor work begins at my house. 

The flower garden needs weeds pulled, old plants trimmed, mulch replaced, and new plants inserted. The yard needs raked to gather all these awful prickly balls that fall from a sweet gum tree planted out front. This tall decorative grass grows on the northeast side of the yard that needs to be cut down and burned. The bushes scattered around the house will need to be trimmed and cleaned for another year. Finally, we plant tomatoes in pots behind the house, and those need to be purchased, planted, caged, and fertilized. 

There is much to do around our house to get the garden going and look lovely again. But it will not end after just a month of work. This will be a summer-long project. Pulling weeds, trimming growth, replacing mulch, getting rid of moles, and watering. This simple garden located around my house will require hours and hours of work.

This principle is true of all gardens. It might be the spiritual garden of your soul or the relationship garden of your heart. Each one needs continual maintenance. Your walk with God and your marriage needs your careful attention to keep them growing. This will require time, work, and sometimes sheer determination. 

Like every beautiful garden, you only see results from people continually working on it. The same is true with people who have a mature life of faith or deeply connected marriage. You never move beyond taking time to work on things. The moment you do is when things start to go wrong. So much of life is maintaining things so that the natural beauty will show forth in all its glory. Great gardens do not just happen.