“The LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.” -Genesis 2:15

Have you ever gardened? Or better yet, have you ever tried to even keep a single plant alive? It’s exhausting. It’s easier to take care of a cat than a plant, I’m not kidding. You could somehow fail to feed your cat for a week and that thing would sneak outside, secure a pigeon for dinner, and sneak back inside before you ever knew it. A plant on the other hand, you can water it every single day but if you measure the slightest amount too little or too much, or insult it’s mother and offend it, that thing is dead and gone in an hour. Now imagine having dozens or even hundreds of those to manage and keep alive because you decided having fresh produce would be fun. (It is not.) Gardening is HARD. But it’s worthwhile. And it’s the first job God ever gave mankind.

That said, before you grab a rake and a water hose, I don’t think we are ALL called to be gardeners. At least, not exactly. See, God gave Adam a job before he gave him a wife or family or sportscar or any of those other things, and He told him to tend the garden. (Not so sure He gave him a sports car at all actually, can’t seem to find that verse, but it would have been cool if He did right?) The words here in Genesis are important. Where it says to tend, is the Hebrew word “abad” which translates most often to the words work, serve, and do. Where it says to watch over, is the Hebrew word shamar, which translates most often to “watch over, keep, be careful about.” So God placed Adam in a place, and told him within that place he had a responsibility to work, to serve, to be a doer, and to watch over that place, being careful about it. When we boil it down to the root of it, I don’t think what God asked of Adam is all that different than what He asks of us. Maybe the truth is, we all have been placed somewhere for a reason, and we all have a responsibility to work in that place, to serve where we find ourselves, to be doers, and to carefully watch over what has been entrusted to us.

What this means for us, is that just like Adam, wherever God has placed us, we have a responsibility and I would dare say a God-given mandate, to watch over it well and serve the place and people around us. If you have been entrusted with a family, especially if you are a Father or Husband, however big or small that family is, God has given you the responsibility of doing your part in watching over and protecting that home. If you’re a janitor, guess what? You have a responsibility to tend those floors and toilets and keep them clean. If you’re a teacher, you have a God given responsibility to care for those students with care and intentionality. God’s word says He who is faithful with little is faithful with much (Luke 16:10) and wherever you find yourself, no matter how small or inconsequential it seems, you have a responsibility to care for it well and to the best of your ability. Daniel 6:3 tells us that Daniel, a mighty man of God, distinguished himself with excellence in everything he did. That’s how we ALL as Christians should be. Christians should unequivocally be the best parents, best spouses, and best employees. Are we living up to that? Is that the standard we’re setting? God has given us a responsibility to tend our gardens, wherever we find ourselves, to take care of that place and the people in it carefully, with love and care. Wherever you find yourself, are you taking care of that place, of the season you’re in, as if God Himself entrusted it to you? Because the truth is in some way and some manner, He did. Tend your gardens.

Is there someone you know who could benefit from reading this? Forward it their way, or encourage them to sign up below:

Click Here!

If this devotional impacted you in a positive way, or if I can pray for you about anything, reply to this email and let me know! I would love to hear from you. To stay up to date on the latest and be a part of our community of renegade practitioners of the way of Jesus, follow me on Instagram at @casenpwatson