One evening, as I was driving through a neighborhood in the spring, I passed a house that had a good-sized garden. But instead of little green sprouts, all I saw was a big piece of fabric. It looked like the garden was snuggled under a warm cozy blanket, trying to hide from the cold. Come to find out, that’s exactly what was happening. I found out that the gardener was trying to protect her plants. That night it was supposed to get very cold - a late spring frost - and she didn’t want the little growing plants to die.

There are a lot of things to think about as a gardener. Not only do you have to keep your growing plants nourished, you also have to protect them from animals, from cold and other extreme weather. If this is starting to sound a bit like parenting, there is a reason for that. Cultivating life can be a hard job. But it is also an important job. When God uses us to help him grow His love in those around us, we need to be aware of the important job He is asking us to do. We need to be there for our friends if life gets cold, dangerous, or stormy. Jesus calmed the storms for the disciples, and while we don’t have that power, we need to protect our fellow Christ-followers and love those in our lives who still need to know Jesus. We need to help the budding plants of God’s love come to maturity.This is Luis Palau.