Two years ago I bought a few pink creeping phlox plants, and planted them at the base of a huge silver maple tree that we had planted nearly fifty years ago. I dug neat little holes, and placed the tiny phlox in the ground, carefully watering each one, patting down the soil, and placing mulch around them.

Today I looked, and saw how beautiful they have become. They now grace the big maple with a foundation of pink blossoms, contrasting with the rugged gray bark of the tree.

Both tree and phlox are created by God. Before the earth was formed, he had these plants in mind. He knew the color and texture of each one, he set their lifespan, and established how they would flourish. Then He created us humans, telling Adam to work and to keep God’s garden so that it would multiply and flourish,

And he gave me this property over fifty years ago; it was just part of an old pasture, treeless, without anything but coarse grass growing there. Over these many years, I have planted, watered, fertilized, and pruned flowers, shrubs, and trees. The lawn has been watered, fertilized and mowed. I’ve removed some of the trees as they grew old, or were weather damaged, and replaced many of the shrubs. And this evening, my wife and I sat outside at the end of the day, as the temperature cooled, and gazed on what God gave us to tend. How good is a God who would lavish so much on people such as we!

The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. Genesis 2:15 (ESV)

Let them praise the name of the LORD!

For he commanded and they were created.

And he established them forever and ever;

he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away.

Psalm 148:5-6 (ESV)