The Golden Key

by Jeanne Page

  Chapter Four

  The King's Garden

  “Oh!” The Servant Girl sighed with sweet contentment and delight. The open doorway could have been a frame in a gallery, and the masterpiece itself might have been painted with the Finest Hand in swaths and swirls of rainbow colors.

  “Come,” He said, and as He stepped down three flat grey stone steps, she followed Him, immersing herself in the misty pool of fragrance and hues. Bright blue violets and pale yellow primrose, marigolds with periwinkle sprinkled around each stem; white daisies tinged with pink, and bright yellow buttercups lined the edges of the path. Trumpets of yellow daffodils, creamy white dogwood, and cherry laurel formed higher hedges. There was blackthorn, crocus, and foxglove and pansies, and so many flowers that she could not even name! The blossoms nodded and danced upon the breeze as they passed by.

  “I’ve never seen anything so beautiful!” she exclaimed.

  He smiled broadly. “I knew you would enjoy the King’s Garden.”

  She brushed her hand against nature’s teacup of purple-blue petals, “Is this columbine?”

  “Yes,” he said, “although some call them granny’s bonnets.”

  “Oh, I like that!” she smiled.

  “Did you know that The King is a farmer?” He asked.

  “No…The King cares for this garden Himself?”

  “Oh yes, The King delights in Divine tilling and sowing. I brought you here because The King wants you to know that you are His garden as well.”

  “Me?”

  “Yes, The King cultivates flowers and spices as beautiful and as full of sweet perfume as these, and He does it in your heart…faith, hope, love…”

  She paused to inhale the honeysuckle fragrance spilling over a hedge and pondered these words.

  Bluebells rang out their flower song on the breeze as He encompassed the garden with a wave of His hand. “See how the sweet odors float on the wind? That which flows out of the flowers on the wind is a blessing to all. This perfume must not be locked up like hidden honey…it must be diffused, and spread for the good of all…just like that which The King cultivates in your own heart.”

  As they strolled through the garden they suddenly came to a place where the path diverged. “Which way should we go, little one?” He asked.

  “I don’t know where we are going…aren’t You to show me the way?”

  He laughed. “You are right! Well done, child.” He gestured to the path on the right. “This is the way we are to go. Remember, I will always guide you, not only in the steps you take, but also in the things you are to learn along the way.”

  And now the hedges opened again and again, and each time He pointed to the path they were to take. “Here we are,” He said, and she found herself at the edge of a small sparkling spring of clear water. White water lilies floated on the top with dark green leaves spread lazily around them. “Come and see,” He said.

  She leaned in to where He directed her and smiled at the yellow iris with purple veins running through the petals growing along the bank. “It’s beautiful!” she said.

  “Yes, it is,” He replied, “But the flower is not what I want you to see. Look at the base of the flower.”

  As she bent closer to the little green mounds sprinkled around the stems of the iris she smiled with recognition. “Peppermint!”

  He laughed. “Yes, child. It’s easy to identify is it not?”

  She breathed deeply of the fresh scent.

  “Pick a small sprig of the mint,” He said. “And put it in your pouch.”

  She dropped to her knees and pinched off a cluster of clean leaves, then placed them in the leather pouch. She tied the leather strings and returned it to her belt.

  “Let’s continue,” He said, gesturing towards a new path. “Do you remember the name for me that you learned in the hallway?”

  She nodded. “The Illuminator.”

  “That’s right. In places of darkness, I promise to bring light to you. I have another name to share with you…I promise to be your Tutor. I promise to teach you Truth…and as we walk so closely together you will learn more about Me, about The King and about The Son.”

  “Oh, I hope I can understand and remember all that You will teach me!”

  “I have the key to unlock all mystery, child, and I am also The Prompter. I promise to help bring all these things to your memory when you are in need of them. For example, do you remember what the words on the door said?”

  She smiled. Such beautiful words! “Pray without ceasing,” she said.

  He nodded approval. “And do you see that tree over there?”

  She followed the direction of His hand. “Oh, the big one? Yes, I do.”

  “Come a little closer and tell Me, what do you see?”

  She shaded her eyes with her hand as she scanned the leaves above, with bright pin pricks of sun peeking through the branches. Was it fruit she was looking for? Or birds in a nest? As her eyes worked their way down the trunk she gasped. “Oh, it was right before me and I didn’t see!” There, carved deep into the trunk were the very words she had spoken, “Pray without ceasing.”

  “As the tree grows, the letters grow deeper and broader each day. In the same way, these words will be written in your heart and the love that The King and His Son have for you will be written on your life for all to see. Like this carving, the words in your heart and on your life will grow deeper and broader as well…ah, here we are, what do you think of this?”

  They had now emerged from the tall hedges lined and sprinkled with wild flowers to an open lawn, green and smooth with bushes, each one as big as a stable, and each one covered with clusters of flower bouquets. “Oh my!” she cried. “What are they?”

  “These are rhododendrons,” He replied, and just as He said it drops of rain began to fall. He laughed and looked up at the grey clouds above. “Come, we’ll be dry inside.” He grabbed her hand and they ran quickly into the very bush itself where the canopy of thick leaves formed a dome of protection. Someone had used this living, growing room before, for several large stones were gathered in a semi-circle and they took a seat there to wait out the storm.

  “I love the rain!” she exclaimed and He smiled and sat quietly enjoying the gentle tap of drops upon the leaves. They sat in silence for some time, drinking in the mist upon the air and then she asked. “What does it mean to pray without ceasing?”

  “You’ve been doing it all morning little one!” He said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Praying is both speaking and listening. As you and I have conversed today you have spoken your heart and through Me, both The Father and The Son have listened. They have spoken to you, too, today—through Me, and through Our Words on the tree and the door, through the creative work of Our hands in the many gardens We cultivate, and more ways than you are even aware of…and you have listened well.”

  “So, as You and I talk together…that is prayer?”

  “Yes, child, but it is more than that. Your whole life is a prayer. You see, you don’t just speak with your mouth. You also speak with your eyes, with your heart, and with every footstep that you follow Me, with every act of obedience, even as we sat together in silence here enjoying the rain. I told you that I am with you always. It is important that you are aware of Our Presence every moment of every day, because everything you do—or don’t do—communicates something to Us. That is how you can pray without ceasing—by living a life of prayer. Where you are, what time of day it is, whether you are sitting, standing, kneeling, or lying down, speaking or being silent; it doesn’t matter as long as with every breath you take, you inhale Our presence. Like the air you breathe, your spirit cannot survive without prayer. It was so important that you not just read the words on the door in the hallway, but that you actually practice what it said. Your mind comprehended The Words when you first read them, but to really know them on a deeper level, you and I must spend time together so I may share the deeper truths with you, an
d then…you must live The Words.”

  The rain began to slow it’s drum beat above them and He stood. “You are growing like a watered garden, child! Let’s continue. Are you hungry?” He asked.

  She smiled. How did He know? “Yes, I was afraid to mention it.”

  “Never fear asking, child. Simply ask.” He led her to a small tree hanging heavy with lush pomegranates. “Pick several of those that are most ripe,” He said. He then took her to a huge tree with branches spreading high and wide. “Look, some ripe figs have just fallen to the ground. Gather those as well.”

  With her arms full of fragrant fruit she followed Him as they continued around the dozens of rhododendron bushes and then she saw another enclosed garden. “Just through that gate The Son waits for you. Be blessed in your time with Him, child. You and I will continue our discussion when you return to me afterwards.”

  Questions for Reflection

  Why is the King referred to as a farmer/gardener?

  How would you describe Divine tilling and sowing?

  In what ways are you His garden?

  What seeds has God planted in the garden of your own heart?

  What does it mean to have winds blow upon your garden so that "spices may flow out?"

  Why must the perfume be diffused?

  What does it mean to you to be a "well-watered garden?"

  Why did the Servant Girl hesitate when her Companion asked her which way to go?

  In what ways does her Companion promise to guide her?

  In what ways does the Holy Spirit guide you?

  Twice the Servant Girl is mistaken when her companion tries to show her something. Does this relate to your experiences with the Holy Spirit? How?

  What new names does her Companion share with her?

  How do these names describe the Holy Spirit?

  Consider the carving on the tree. Does it describe your own life?

  What is the difference between hearing the Word and learning the Word?

  How is it humanly possible to pray without ceasing?