The following was written in honor of Dr. Ben Kendrick – a man who truly loved God. However, this story applies to many servants of the LORD. One person who comes to mind is Rod Silver. Today, I want to dedicate this story to all the LORD's finest soldiers, but especially Pastor Silver, who was an exceptional man of God.
The Gardener
Written by Mary Elizabeth Bobo
In Loving Memory of Dr. V. Ben Kendrick, "Uncle Ben"
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.
Proverbs 11:30
Once upon a time, long ago in a far away land, there lived a great King. He ruled with wisdom and kindness, and His people were happy. The King's castle had been built on the top of a tall hill that overlooked the kingdom. The walls that surrounded it were thick and strong, but inside the gates was a beautiful courtyard. It was very mysterious indeed that the gardens within the court should be so lovely, because the ground was rough, the climate was harsh, and there were a great number of passers-by who disturbed them daily. Despite all of this, the gardens were beautiful, probably the most beautiful gardens in the entire kingdom. When asked how He managed to keep such fine grounds, the King always said it was due to the faithful old gardener. The gardener was a kind and humble man who had served in the King's palace nearly all of his life. He loved his work, and he was a friend to all the people who came to the castle. He was also a very good teacher, so every year; he would select an apprentice from among the young people who came to the castle. Then he would teach that person all year long how to cultivate the delicate plants, how to nourish the earth, and how to protect it against the harsh weather that sometimes arose.
One year, there was a young man who lived on the farthest border of the kingdom. He had heard of the great King's beautiful courtyard, and he wished to see the grounds for himself. He traveled for weeks before he finally arrived. He was not disappointed. He had not been told the half of the beauty that lay before him on the grounds that belonged to the King. He was a curious lad, and wanted very much to know the old gardener's secret, so he requested to be made his apprentice. The gardener, who though by this time had grown very old, agreed without hesitation.
The young man soon learned that this job was not an easy one. The gardener worked every day of the week but one, from sun up to sun down. And it was not just physical labor. There were so many things that one had to learn. The gardener knew the strengths and weaknesses of each plant. He understood the seasons, and could predict the weather better than a prophet. But it was not just knowledge alone that would suffice. The gardener had to use all of these things that he had learned with wisdom, making each decision with careful consideration. Of course, on occasion it would happen that even the wise old gardener would come across a problem that all his knowledge, and wisdom, and hard work couldn't solve. He told his apprentice that in such cases the King, Who was the greatest of all gardeners and had taught him everything he knew, would be able to solve it.
The apprentice studied hard, and near the end of his year, he woke early one morning and hurried out to face a new day. He waited for the gardener next to the shed where all of their tools and supplies were kept as usual, but the gardener didn't come. Never before had he been late. The young man waited and waited, until night fell. Finally he walked to the gardener's modest home. He found there a large crowd of people all with tears in their eyes. The gardener had passed away in his sleep.
People came from all over for the gardener's funeral. They looked at his beautiful grounds and sighed. "Who now would care for the lovely gardens?" was the question that everyone asked. No one could replace the gardener. His heart heavy and broken, the young man slipped off by himself into a deserted corner and cried mourning the loss of such a great man. When he finally looked up, he noticed that he was very warm even though the sun was no longer beating down upon him. In fact, he was completely covered by the shadow of the King.
The apprentice bowed down before his Monarch, and as he did, he could see the last of his tears dripping off the end of his nose. The King lifted him gently and asked, "Why are you sad My young friend?" The apprentice wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt before continuing. "Because, I have lost my master, and there is no one who can take his place." He clutched his heart as spoke his next words. "There is a great void, a hole in the world today." The King smiled at him with gentle eyes. "Come with me." He commanded, and then He began to hike up to the highest point on the hill. The young man followed, lost in his thoughts.
When they reached the top, the apprentice saw that the King was holding a shovel in His hand though he hadn't noticed one before that moment. The King placed it into his grasp and said just one word, "Dig." The apprentice obeyed all the while wondering what the King wanted from him. He had not been digging long before there was small but marked hole in the ground. The King placed a warm hand on the young man's shoulder to stop him from continuing. He pointed down to where the apprentice had just been digging. "That," He explained with emphasis, "is a hole." After a brief pause, He continued. "Many lives are like this hole, you see. They exist, but are empty. They serve no purpose, and are very unpleasant to the eyes." Suddenly, again seemingly out of nowhere, the King produced a beautiful rose bush, which the apprentice thought was an odd specimen for he could not see one single thorn. He did not need to wait for instruction from the King, he was a gardener and knew just what to do with it. He planted it in the hole he had just dug, replaced the soil, and patted down the earth all around it. When he looked back up at the King, they were both smiling. The King waved His hand over the beautiful rose bush and spoke again. "Some lives, some very exceptional lives are like this rose. You see instead of leaving a hole, there is a beautiful, growing, thriving plant. The life of your faithful mentor is one such exception. He does not leave hole, but a plant. And THAT is very beautiful to see." As He said the last words, the petals of the closed roses opened into a full and beautiful bloom. Then the King turned the young man to see the view of the kingdom from the top of this hill. As far as the eye could see there were beautiful, beautiful gardens. They were all done in the same style that the old gardener had taught him, because they were all tended by his former apprentices.
The great King was right. There are some people who leave this world, and they have done nothing but dig a hole. But those Christians who are faithful and who humbly serve God everyday leave roses. And even in the saddest of moments our gracious Heavenly Father can make them bloom.
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