The Garden: Finding God and Searching for Answers.
In the last part of the series, I want to reflect on what it really means to believe in God. Maybe you’re new to faith and finding God, cautiously searching for something real. Or maybe you’ve been walking this path for years and find yourself standing at the edge, ready to throw in the towel because it doesn’t seem to be working. Belief in God isn’t about everything making perfect sense, and it’s not a guarantee of ease or clarity. But I’ll share my experience.
I used to approach the Bible like a crystal ball, looking for signs, specific answers, and guarantees about my future: where to go, what to do, how things would turn out.
I did this for years. Sometimes I read too much into things; other times, I just assumed it would eventually tell me what I needed to know. But more often than not, I was left wondering why it didn’t work the way I thought it should.
Then someone said something that radically changed my perspective, not just of the Bible, but of Christianity itself. Like most deep shifts, it didn’t take root all at once. At first, it was just a seed, but they preached this truth consistently, weaving it into everything they taught. And slowly, it began to change me. So what was the idea that shifted everything?
You might not want to hear it, but at the same time, you probably do, because it can change you from the inside out. The Bible is not about you. That’s it. It sounds simple, even disappointing at first. I get it. Whether you’re a Christian or not, your gut reaction might be, “Well, then what’s in it for me?” You come to Jesus looking for answers, so where are they?
But here’s the thing: there are answers. They just come through a different approach. Instead of using the Bible to try and figure out your next step, I urge you to seek God Himself because He is the answer. Let His Word shape you instead of simply trying to extract direction from it.
I used to hear people say, “Just read the Bible; it will guide you.” But I needed more than that, I needed someone to show me how. Where are people finding God?
I was the kid in PE class who never wanted to be the first to try a new game after the teacher explained it. I always waited in the back of the line, watching someone else go first. So here I am, going first, sharing what it looks like to seek God instead of just seeking answers for yourself. It means shifting your focus. In your prayers, devotions, church life, and conversations, the goal isn’t to find a quick fix, it’s to know Jesus. Because once you know Him, you begin to see that He doesn’t just give answers, He is the answer.
And yes, He does guide. But not in a transactional way where you plug in the right prayers and get the life you asked for. He transforms you and in that transformation, you begin to walk in His direction. When we seek God, we begin to commune with Him. That becomes our focus. And as we do, we bear the fruit of the Spirit, not because we earned it, but because the Spirit is working through us. This is how the Word shapes us: by shifting our eyes from the next step to the One who holds every step.
I needed that visual, so let me give you mine.
I liken it to chasing butterflies.
Imagine someone sprinting through a field, trying to catch butterflies. The butterflies of life; success, money, recognition, beauty, comfort. Every now and then, they might catch one, but more often than not, they end up exhausted, running in circles, always chasing and never satisfied.
Now picture someone else who plants a garden. They dig, water, prune, and care for it patiently. And over time, it begins to bloom. Slowly, the butterflies come not because they were chased, but because the garden drew them in.
As you begin to build a life with God, through Scripture, prayer, and community, you start tending the garden of your soul. In the quiet, steady rhythm of that work, your heart begins to change. Communion with God reshapes your desires. Gradually, almost without noticing, you begin to want what He wants. You stop chasing what the butterflies once promised, not because those things are inherently bad, but because the garden itself, grown from intimacy with Him, has become far more beautiful. It draws them in, but you’re no longer drawn away.
The deeper you dig in, the more you begin to see: it's in truly knowing Him that your heart and desires are quietly transformed, the more you begin to find joy, even when the butterflies are few and far between
You discover patience when life feels uncertain, kindness even in the middle of hardship, and peace when the future is unclear. Sometimes the butterflies come, and sometimes they don’t, but that’s okay. Because now, you’re resting in the beauty and stillness of the Garden, something the butterflies could never give.
Now, speaking to the garden’s beauty; people can build gardens of their own ambitions, gardens that attract butterflies too. But often, they become so focused on the butterflies that they neglect the garden itself, and it begins to wither. The beauty of the Garden doesn’t hold them there.
But the power of the garden that blooms from closeness with God is different. In that kind of garden, God gives the growth. We do the tending, but He is the source of life and because of that, the beauty of the garden is something far greater than anything we could build on our own.
The splendor of a garden grown by God will always surpass the fleeting appeal of the butterflies this world offers.
Yes, it takes work. Some seasons, parts of your garden will wither; in others, they’ll thrive. Sometimes your efforts may feel fruitless. But still, you stay because the peace of His presence and the beauty of the garden itself are worth every bit of the tending.
And in the seasons when your garden suffers, you hold onto the hope of what’s happening beneath the surface, what’s being nurtured unseen and the promise of what will eventually bloom. You’ve already tasted the beauty before, and you know it will come again.
In the end, we’re all choosing between two ways of living: a life spent chasing butterflies, temporary pleasures that fade and never truly satisfy or a life rooted in knowing Jesus, where lasting joy, deep peace, and a heart at rest are found.
The answers you’re searching for may not come the way you expect, but they will be better. Because in getting to know Him, He begins to transform you, your wants, your desires, and the entire direction of your life. And in Him, you receive what your soul was always truly longing for, not just peace from Him, but peace found in Him. And before long, you’ll find yourself longing to share with others what you've discovered in this peaceful garden.
I can show you how. I can model it, encourage you, and explain what to do. But the only way to truly know is to step into planting a garden yourself. And when you do, I promise you’ll find the beauty of him. And the butterflies of life will become just visitors; brief joys to admire, but no longer distractions to chase when compared to the beauty of the Garden you’re resting in.
