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It’s summer time. And no doubt you’ve been in the garden yourself, or you know someone who has. Or you’ve been to someplace to get some of the good stuff that comes out of a garden. Right? And I can tell you, from a LOT of experience, how good it is to go into a garden to feel the dirt beneath your feet and smell the variety of scents.But you don’t go in the garden to lose your mind.
Now, I know this is gonna sound a little bit nitpicky. But I think it bears at least a little scrutiny. And I’m talkin’ about a picture of a sign I saw, this morning, with something that’s not quite right. It’s a cool sign. And it looks like it’s for somebody’s garden shop or restaurant or something similar. Here’s what is said:
Stephanie’s Garden: And into the garden I go to lose my mind and find my soul.
Innocent enough. But I still gotta take a bit of issue with it. Because you should never think or believe it’s somehow a good thing to “lose your mind” or “forget your mind” or “ignore your mind.” You hear something like that in all kinds of movies and other videos, podcasts, seminars, webinars, etc.
And if you lose your mind, how will you know if you find your soul. I know, I know. As I said, it’s nitpicky. But I think people would be much better served to think of it like this:
Into the garden I go
To clear my mind and soothe my soul.
That’s still not my favorite.
Because it’s an approximate rhyme. But I shared it that way to tie it into the lines from the sign. And, as you might have gathered from my description of a garden experience, mind-clearing and soul-soothing are much better perspectives. Especially if you understand where you get your mind and soul.
As I thought about what I wanted to say about that sign, I also started to remember an old hymn. Turns out it was first published in 1912. And you might not believe it, but it has been recorded by some famous singers. Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Perry Como, Rosemary Clooney, The Statler Brothers, and, get this: even Elvis recorded a version. How cool is that?!
The song is called, “In The Garden.” And it was written by a pharmacist who lived from 1868 to 1946.
C. Austin Miles also was an editor and manager at a publishing company for 37 years. And according to an article I read about him, his great-granddaughter said the song was written “in a cold, dreary, and leaky basement in Pitman, New Jersey that didn’t even have a window in it let alone a view of a garden.”
That goes to show you what the true mind-clearing, soul-soothing love of God can do for your perspective. I’ll share the lyrics to the song. And if you wanna hear a beautiful rendition of it, listen to Rosemary Siemens’ video.
In The Garden
I come to the garden alone,
While the dew is still on the roses,
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses.
And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.
He speaks, and the sound of His voice
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing.
And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known. ~ C. Austin Miles
Jump on the The FunderFlash (regular emails with my rather poetic perspective on life and truth) AND I’ll send you some music and other good stuff.
Stay tuned,
