For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating; for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight. I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and delight in my people; no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it, or the cry of distress. No more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few days, or an old person who does not live out a lifetime; for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth, and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed. They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain, or bear children for calamity; for they shall be offspring blessed by the LORD -- and their descendants as well. Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox; but the serpent--its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the LORD.

-Isaiah 65:17-25 (NRSV)

IN anticipation of the upcoming move from my home of 20 years, I carefully collected the seeds of my favorite plants from my beloved garden. After the move, I immediately planted the seeds in the yard of my new house. To my dismay, nothing came up -- because the climate was different and not at all suitable for many of the southern plants whose seeds I had so carefully brought with me. I had moved nearly 700 miles north!

Instead of trying to re-create my old garden, I spent the first summer observing the plants that already flourished in the garden of my new home. Consequently, I was never without glorious blooms for my vases. I decided that the next spring I would create a new garden -- one that was in harmony with the plants that were already established. My new garden would be different but in its own way just as lovely as the one I had left.

I came to see that I too would need to change, in order to adapt to my new community. I trusted God to nurture me through this challenging time. After all, God is the Master Gardener who creates us anew to thrive in whatever location we find ourselves.

Sarah Schaller Linn (Wisconsin, USA)

Prayer Focus

Those moving to a new home