the garden blog....

Walking down the road one day, Alice and two friends noticed across the road what appeared to be an empty lot of land with a tall atrocious gate blocking the contents. "What an eyesore! Alice's friend exclaimed; but Alice suggested they go closer out of curiosity for what was inside. Upon walking into the gates, they all exclaimed with shock and wonder at the most beautiful and breathtaking garden, filled with a variety of gorgeous flowers of all types, colours and sizes.The group smiled in their silly assumptions and decided that it was probably best not to judge things based on what appears to be faulty or flawed on the outside, but rather to look deeper within, because there is probably something wonderful and waiting to be noticed and appreciated.

"Special people overlook your broken gate and admire the flowers in your garden"

Nice story don't you think?
It strikes home with me because I've been both culprit and victim to the moral of the tale.
I've judged people based on their flaws, faults and mistakes they've made. I've been part of cliques that 'branded' some people unworthy of second chances, forgiveness or a deeper look. And nothing has hurt more than the feeling of the same stamp being placed upon me, a damaged lot of land that has flaws that can't be understood, tolerated or fixed.

Tell me this: Why is it that we are so quick to judge those with flaws and cast them away, when we are ourselves tainted in some way as well?

People make mistakes in life; misjudge, misunderstand, lie, cheat, and other traits on the 'naughty' list. These decisions often put flaws on our 'gates' so to speak, but just because a person's 'gates' are faulty or flawed doesn't mean that their 'gardens' are worth any less or nothing at all.

A good book i once read once said 'Let he who is without sin cast the first stone'. Ring a bell? A Holy one? It's the Bible.
With those wise words in mind, I ask 'why are all these stones being cast?!'.

Human nature makes us judgmental; selfish, proud, prone to hurt and vindictive. But we are also still HUMAN; and we make mistakes.
If everyone in the entire world since the beginning of time didn’t give a deeper look past the most destroyed gates; then some of the most beautiful, breath taking and beneficial gardens would have never been known.

Today, ask yourselves, are you living in a glass house and still attempting to throw stones? What if the people in your life did that to you?
Everything around you would be broken, damaged, flawed, but YOU would still stand; worth acknowledgement, consideration and a chance.
As a fellow metaphorical lot of land in the story above, I know that though my gates are broken, battered and somewhat flawed, there is still a beautiful garden, with flowers of every type, size and colour to be noticed and appreciated.

So until we can totally repair the flaws, take back the mistakes that have tainted us, let's never forget that past what you glimpse is something worth truly LOOKING at- something beautiful and worthwhile.