Wonders, indeed, never cease, especially when everything is seen in the eyes of faith! And wonders continue to blossom in my ‘Wisdom Garden.’ I can’t resist sharing again the wealth of insights springing from its reservoir of ‘fresh and running waters.’ You may take a second sip (or gulp if you please) of these refreshing insights.

Patience, love, sacrifice, and the bougainvillea

Once I was shaping a robust and wild bougainvillea with its long, thorny and gnarled branches webbed into different directions. I had to tie the middle parts of its branches to form a huge foliage umbrella. As expected, I got tiny wounds and a lot of bruises.

Dealing with the unruly bougainvillea brought me an insight about human formation. Anyone who has the vocation to make masterpieces out of wild personalities cannot but embrace a life in which being hurt and wounded are essential elements. Hence, the formator ought to have an overdose of patience, love, and sacrifice. Reforming the formandee, anyway is a sort of giving the formandee a new birth, and the parent (formator) cannot but suffer the pangs of giving birth.

The bonsai, humility, and pride

A few meters away from the bougainvillea stood an ornamental plant about a meter tall. Like the bougainvillea, its manner of branching was scattered and deformed. The best I could do was to cut and form it into a bonsai. Having formed foliage, the former eyesore turned out to be one of the most precious garden inhabitants.

I had a heavy downpour of insights about pride and humility during those times that I worked with the bonsai. Before its makeover, the tall plant looked ugly and awful. I realized that when we become too proud and assume to be more than what we really are, we tend to appear higher than the rest, but are nonetheless clumsy and awkward because things simply do not fit rightly in us. We just appear funny, out of fashion, out of place, out of tune, etc.

This scenario holds true in all aspects of life. With regards to vocation, it is reminds us that responding to God’s call require for an open, honest and well-discerned decision. Only then can a person be true to oneself, avoiding thus the pride of ambition and any other factor that may poison or distort one’s motive. Insisting to dwell where one cannot openly respond to the Spirit who blows life-giving breeze is certainly a form of pride; for what is pride if not at least the non-acceptance of one’s proper place in God’s design? With due consideration to the wonders of God’s transforming grace, it is still best that a vocation be nurtured in the appropriate seedbed; much more so, vocation needs to be lived in the proper habitat so that much fruit may be borne.

‘We ought not to be our true selves.’ Pretensions emerge whenever we cannot accept and we are ashamed of our true identities. We then project imaginary selves. Hence we cannot but live in illusions. As long as we are into this, we can never be happy. We always expose ourselves to conflicts and tensions because we constantly play hide and seek with reality.

In contrast to pride, humility thrives when we live in simplicity, just like the simple, non-towering presence of the bonsai. There’s simplicity when we freely and joyfully accept out real selves carved on the palms of the ‘Great Designer.’ There’s simplicity when we accept and conform to the fact that we are God’s image and likeness. We then get rid of complications, especially those which hinder us from projecting the simple image and likeness of God in us which constitute true beauty.

The bromeliad and false humility

In one corner of my garden is a bromeliad, which has a very beautiful and bright flower. The problem, however, is that it cannot bring its flower up, which is about a foot high. Rather than standing up firmly, it just hangs like a rope that is why it sometimes hides among the bromeliad’s leaves. Such tremendous beauty, but it is a pity that it cannot be openly seen and recognized.

Observing the bromeliad’s flower. I came to an insight about false humility. Accepting and showing your real self is not pride. Hiding it, on the other hand, is false humility. Sometimes we have talents but we are afraid to show them because we may be branded as proud. Yet, what is a lamp meant for if it is hidden under a table? Our talents are manifestations of the genius of our Creator. Using our talents in the right place, time, and occasion is indeed giving justice to the image and likeness of God we bear in our being.

Sin, conversion, and the horse manure

During those times when I put decomposed horse manure as fertilizers for my plants, an insight about sin and conversion flashed in my mind. I realized that a sinner is like the horse manure. When not yet decomposed, it is still hot and odorous. It such condition, it is useless. It only burns plant’s roots. Worse, being smelly, I don’t think anybody would like to get near it. Like this not-yet-decomposed horse manure, a sinner would often regard himself as useless, undesirable, and unpleasant.

Once decomposed, however, the horse manure’s fate becomes significantly different. It remains to be manure, yet it ceases to be rejected and undesirable. Indeed, in its decomposed state, I put it on the plants with my bare hands. That’s how harmless it is. More importantly, it becomes so useful and life-giving. As a fertilizer, it produces vigor and vitality among the plants in my garden.

A converted sinner becomes a very effective minister to God’s people. Having passed through the pains and struggles of a sinful life, he learns to understand with love and compassion. Being one who has found meaning in the unconditional love of Christ, he zealously ministers to his fellow sinners. He then become a life-giving fertilizer to those who suffer from guilt and other alienating consequences of being separated from God’s embrace.

A sinner cannot remove the history of his dark past just as manure remains to be manure even after its decomposition. What makes the big difference, though, is the sinner’s willingness to be changed. Just as decomposition transforms manure into fertilizer, conversion transforms the sinner into God’s masterpiece.

The process from sinning to conversion requires some form of chastisement. The manure has to be exposed to the scorching heat of the sun, harsh winds and other factors for it to decompose. In like manner, the sinner has to be chastised like gold tested in fire in order for him to be purified. He has to make the sacrifice of turning away from sin. He has to submit his being to God, (the ‘Sun’ and the ‘Wind’) who can transform him into becoming a wounded-healer.

The Desert Palm, orchids, bromeliads, vocation, and strength

I have a desert palm whose leaves take a long period of time to mature. Yet, once developed, they last for a year or more without withering. They can even withstand strong typhoons.

Orchid and bromeliad flowers are also very slow to develop, and like the desert palm’s leaves, they are sturdy, beautiful, and have long life span.

The desert palm, orchids and bromeliads have taught me that patience and long preparations can make one strong enough to face life’s worst trials. This is true most specially in vocation discernment and spiritual life.

Vocation does not warrant rushed decisions. It ought to allow the Spirit to suffuse the formandee according to the beat of His own time. A time-tested decision is better than that which emerge at the spur of the moment, for the Spirit works best in him who takes time to listen, and takes time again to master enough courage and strength in following the truth he finds as the Spirit gradually unfolds in day-to-day situations.

Typhoons and weak foundations

No gardener wants typhoons because not only do they destroy plants but they also tear down costly structures such as greenhouses.

Typoons, however, can never be avoided. When typhoons hit my garden, weak foundations collapse as expected.

At first, I was afraid of typhoons because my garden’s infrastructures were weak. Yet, typhoons compelled me to replace the weak ones with stronger materials. The typhoons either discouraged me to stop gardening or challenged me to dance with their beat. I chose the latter, but I had to make sure my garden was strong enough. It was then when I learned more sharply that typhoons can either make a person succumb to resignation or otherwise challenge one’s creativity to flourish.

Typhoons in the form of trials also happen in our lives. The good side of these is to make us be more aware of our weak foundations. Consciousness is the first step. Strengthening comes next. In this perspective, it is not the damage that matters most, but the precious learning it conveys and the inspiration and propensity towards creativity it stirs to emerge. God indeed chastises us to bring our the real gold in us. Is this not a very positive thing?

There go again some insights from my garden. Truly, creation is also a medium of God’s revelation. We continue to be open and wonders will never cease.