Your Spiritual Garden: Tending to the Presence of God
Celebrating how we can unknowingly give our future selves a favor
O garden-dweller,
my friends are listening for your voice,
let me hear it!
- Song of Solomon 8:13
This morning, a dear friend texted me a gorgeous photograph from her spot in the woods with a message, and added, “Your opening prayer to the master gardener is absolutely beautiful.”
My hands have been in the warming Alaska earth this weekend, weeding, and I reflected about how I become grounded when I am among flowers and the earthiness of growing green, even persistence weeds. Yesterday I’d been pondering my second book, Your Spiritual Garden: Tending to the Presence of God, A Six Week Daily Life Retreat, published in 2006, and look forward to greenhouse time later this week when I will finally plant dozens of pots and baskets for my lodge, creating little planets of shape and color. The text from my friend inspired me to revisit that opening prayer from Your Spiritual Garden, and then, with a smile, I went down a rabbit-hole of turning pages.
I share that opening prayer with you, that I am inspired to handwrite onto pretty paper, and pray with each day this month. Thank you to the me in 2005 who penned this book.
Together with a few flower photos, I’ve also added some favored quotes from Your Spiritual Garden, with a hope that they may spark inspiration or insight for you, too.
Opening Prayer from Your Spiritual Garden: Tending to the Presence of God
Spirit of the Living God, throughout these coming days, I ask you to open my heart to discover your presence.
Plant seeds of stillness and discernment within me.
Grow my vision and awareness to discover how you are already present and awaiting me in my daily life and dreams.
Water me with gentleness and compassion.
Prune away any unnecessary action and hardness of my heart.
Blossom me with reverence for all of creation, and allow me to mature in depth of forgiveness, mercy and deeds for others.
I trust you and bless you, granting you permission to transform me into your heart’s desire.
Oh Master Gardener, you created the world and desire that I love you with all my mind, heart, and soul. Show me how.
Oh Master Gardener, you are already present in every moment of my daily life. Teach me to discover and appreciate your presence in the people and places I encounter every day.
Oh Master Gardener, you will come alive more fully in my life when I surrender to your loving will and design for my life that we create together. May I give you permission to transform me into your designated witness and ambassador on this beautiful planet.
Amen.
“Gardens are reflective of their environment, seeds, plantings, attention, light, and water. So too are the daily lives we inhabit and live. And thus, so too is our spiritual life” (23)*.
“It is possible that the part of our self that pioneers into new territory is in intimate conversation and communion with God, desiring a not yet realized future. We receive inklings of the conversation through our dreams, hopes, and desires. Seeds are planted within us, and if we are courageous and daring enough, surprising growth occurs. The requirements for growth are trusting life and realizing there is really no security other than love” (50).
“As we tend to our spiritual garden, we first show up fully awake, take notice of the choices we make, and of how resources of time, energy, and finances are expended. Tending the garden requires paying attention to a quality of prayer life, availability to family and friends, how our bodies move in the world, and engagement with the personal conversation God holds with each person. In particular, tending to our spiritual garden requires asking the daily question: “What is it only I can do with the time and space of my distinct life?” And then doing it with gusto, presence, and passion!” (57).
“These are only a few examples of actions negatively impacting your core identity in socially acceptable ways. To effectively prune away the actions that are not needed, you must become still enough to distinguish what brings your joy, creativity, and passion alive. The gift from the process of simplification and pruning is a new appreciation for what you did not know you already knew, spaciousness for the not-yet-discovered, and increased energy to focus upon your core values and what is truly important: the life God desires you live” (87).
“In the garden of our soul, we have roots, supports, and principles providing the foundation for our life of integrity. From a young age we experiment, learn guiding actions and principles. A baby’s small hand will grasp a caregiver’s extended finger and grip it securely. The garden vine covered in heavy blooms will tendril, entwining itself around support structures. As we age and mature, we learn to seek out support through relationships that offer us ability to bloom into fullness. We become skilled at relying upon God, and our own inner strength and potential. Gradually we come to understand our core beliefs and foundational principles, which enable us to reach our life’s full potential. We discover that there are ethical, and often difficult, choices we must make even when we don’t desire to do so. Thoughts and actions become integrated. When we are grounded in the gospel of truth and compassion, we become transparent to others” (105).
“There is no experience quite like being the recipient of generous love and presence from another person, even a stranger. The times in our life when we experience complete acceptance by another creates within ourselves powerful interior freedom. The demands and insistent voices within us become calm, and our breathing slows. We experience a more rhythmic heartbeat, and we feel an interconnection with others. This interplay can occur with the Beloved, the known, or with a complete stranger—at any time, in any place. Encounters with personal, real presence are life-gifting, perhaps surprising and fulfilling, and are transformative for the giver and receiver. How do you give yourself away to others in a way that is meaningful and delightful? First, you give yourself away by knowing the ‘yes’ of your life, and what values are most important to you. Knowing these offer you clarity and the ability to be present and engaged. Second, we identify…” (121).
Originally, I designed Your Spiritual Garden to be a six-week daily life retreat, however, I encourage readers to be creative with timing. Maybe it takes a year, reading once a week, or perhaps a small group desires to gather and work with the content over a several month time period. It can be a book to pick up and thumb through when the timing calls, for a particular theme or topic.
Peace my friends,
Pegge (formerly Bernecker) Erkeneff
More deets about Pegge’s books including Your Spiritual Garden: Tending to the Presence of God, A Six Week Daily Life Retreat by Pegge [Erkeneff] Bernecker, 2006
This book was published in 2006 under my married name, before I took back my maiden name, Erkeneff, in 2011. It’s available on amazon, and I have copies available that can be personalized and mailed to you.
*The number in the parentheses following the quote is the page number citation from the book.
I love Your Spiritual Garden and I thank you for the permission to take it at my own pace. Some of it resonates so deeply I need to spend more than just one day. I don’t want to just press on into the next day without really delving into that which you challenge us to reflect upon. Thank you for all you share 💜
I'm going to grab my book and dust it off..!! :) Thank you!