Already…but not quite yet

Today is our wedding anniversary, but my wife and I won’t be spending the day as we normally would.  I’m in an all-day spiritual direction class, and she is spending time with family in Montana and Oregon (by spending time with family I mean she and my niece are visiting wineries).  It’s a different kind of anniversary this year, but that’s okay; I think we can all agree that there has been nothing ‘normal’ about this year anyway.

Take my wife’s garden, for instance.  This spring she planted a beautiful and extensive flower garden.  She planned it, took care of it and then she had to have knee surgery in mid-June.  The surgery has kept her out of the garden, so during her recovery I’ve been watering and caring for it.  And then last week she went out of town – for two weeks, in the middle of a drought, during one of the hottest summers on record.  And I won’t even mention the Japanese Beetles (unfortunately they’re not a Fab Four cover band).

My wife has a green thumb; I do not.  And while I truly enjoy the time I spend daily in the garden, it’s a tremendous responsibility trying to keep everything alive.  I like flowers, but I do not love them in the same way that she does.  I’m sure they will be happy when she comes home.

In a roundabout way this brings me to what I would like to talk about: The Kingdom of God.  What does it have to do with gardening?  Nothing, really.  But, for some reason I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately, and I was reminded of it again when watering my wife’s flowers.

God planned and peopled and cared for this beautiful planet we call home.  Then some weeds crept in.  And they grew.  And grew.  So, Jesus came to put things right and with his appearance the Kingdom of God was inaugurated.  But, it is not here completely.  Theologians like to say that we live in the ‘already, but not yet,’ meaning that the reign of God has begun, but it won’t be here in its fulness until Jesus returns.  In the meantime, we are to nurture and care for God’s Kingdom, much like I’m caring for my wife’s garden until she returns.

Which is fine, but what many of us have trouble with are Jesus’ words that “the Kingdom of God is at hand.”  We look around and at first glance it’s difficult to see any evidence that it’s true.  Like every age, we live in troubled times.  I don’t need to list all of the things that are wrong, because I think we’re far too familiar with them.  If the Kingdom of God is truly here, even in an incomplete way, why aren’t things better?

I don’t have a good answer; people have been debating the question for centuries.  But, I do have a thought.  For me, the Kingdom of God has to do with God’s love filling the earth.  We can be participants in the process.  Love is in bloom all around us, in obvious and not so obvious ways.  We can focus on the weeds or we can appreciate the beautiful flowers, such as the people who give their lives caring for others or the fact that love is a more powerful force than hate.  I’m convinced that the love of God can transform the world.  Jesus also said, “Behold, the Kingdom of God is within you.”  We have the power to plant and grow and love, not just uproot and tear down.

My wife is the love of my life and the best thing that ever happened to me.  Her love has transformed me.  I don’t believe it’s an accident that we’ve been married for 29 years.  Someone has been nurturing our relationship.  And that’s enough for me to say that the Kingdom of God truly is at hand.

Choose joy, then share it.