As Lilah climbed the tallest tree to get to the roof of her grandparents' old house, she slowly lifted her hands up to the sky. She let her long red hair dance in the wind, and tilted up her pink lips to the sun.
"Oh, Lord. I want you to have the key to my hearts garden."
She placed her hands over her heart and closed her eyes.
"I don't want to let anyone sneak in and steal all the flowers. I don't want to let anyone do that. Not anymore. I want my heart to be pure before you--so take the key. I know at the right time you'll bring him to me."
Later that night as Lilah snuggled into her bed in the old attic, her heart felt fresh.
She had a dream that put all her words and desires into pictures:
Way deep into the woods, there was a garden and a white gate wrapped around it. In front of the gate stood a tall, strong man, holding a key.
This man was so radiant! More radiant than the sun. And he had a smile on his face that was more glorious than a crescent moon.
Inside the garden were different types and colors of flowers. There were pink tulips, white daisies, orange poppys.
One day, a guy walked up to the garden.
"May I come in?" He asked the man holding the key. "I want to pick those flowers in there."
"Sorry," the man said, "This isn't the garden you're supposed to pick from."
Then, another guy came up to the guarded gate and just stood there looking around.
He obviously wanted nothing from that garden.
Another one came over.
"Can I come in? I want to pick that single white rose way in that back of the garden."
The man looked at him gently and said, "You've already picked a single white rose. And this one is not for you."
Finally a young man walked up and appeared to recognize the gatekeeper.
"Somehow I knew I'd find you here," the young man said. "May I come in now?"
The man looked at him as if he'd been waiting for him, and gave him the key. But before he let him enter, he said:
"You are free to roam and pick. But you must never pick the single white rose. As you can see it is not finished growing. It is not ready. It is not ripe."
The young man nodded and smiled, excitedly entering the gate.
He walked up to a red rose.
"A rose as read as the hair of my love, a tulip as pink as her lips. And a lovely white rose. White as her heart."
When Lilah awoke from this dream, her weary heart was no longer troubled. She had never felt more free and settled, than the day she gave her true Love the key to her heart.
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This came to me out of truth; experience. It's hard to give Him the key, especially when you think you can take better care of your "garden". But like the dream, I don't want any guy who's not my future love to pick all my flowers. Soon, there'll be none left for him!
Know that God is ready to take that key! No matter how many flowers you have--none or all.
"His mercies never end. They are new every morning."
-Lamenations 3:23-
picture source here. =)
