Is Spring Coming?

So far I've studied Eden, Gethsemane, and the garden near Golgotha...this next one may seem strange to add in, but we skip this book of the Bible a lot because the imagery makes us blush and giggle....but I think it should make the list as one of the most important gardens in the Bible.  The sweetness of this garden is described throughout the whole book in Songs Of Solomon.....it's really like a poetic play...where two people, who are very much in love, try to describe their love for one another.  Don't worry, I am not going anywhere inappropriate with this...I just want to say that what it describes is a garden of complete reception and acceptance.  It describes the relationship of Christ and His Bride in the most intimate way that Solomon knew how to describe it.....remember he speaks with a level of wisdom that God granted him which surpasses that of other men.  Our Christian faith is a relationship.

I chose the quote from the Secret Garden.....partially because I AM wondering if Spring is coming...HA!  NO...really because when we find Christ, we truly find this paradise.  It is a secret between us and, in it, we understand a pure desire for holiness...a pure intimacy, we deeply experience our unworthiness... yet, at the same time, an exhilarating joy of being His chosen one....and we experience complete freedom with Him.  In that relationship with Him, we are completely understood and accepted/loved unconditionally....in fact, we are seen as radiant through His eyes. 

This is what He sees when He looks at us! WOW!

He wants us to remain in this close relationship with Him, and if we are also pursuing Him, we should not want anything to harm this intimacy.  For this reason, we do need to guard our hearts and minds and make sure that we have a singular focus on Him and are not led into the seeking of idols...in other words ,we should not run after anything that would take us away from Him.  In Songs of Solomon 4:12, the lover praises his beloved for being faithful to him by saying,

You are a garden locked up, my sister, my bride;

you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain.

...And then he compares her love to all the most beautiful things he can think of....he is saying she is his alone and for that he rejoices!

If God has blessed us with marriage, we should also do our best to reflect this kind of intimacy with our spouse....our marriages can and should be a picture of the love Christ has for His Bride.