I am the good and faithful gardener, and I have planted a beautiful, wide, glorious garden of special flowers. This garden is not like a garden that would be grown by an earthly gardener, in which the gardener plants seeds and up come many flowers of the same color and of the same style. He plants roses and up come pink roses and red roses and yellow roses. And he plants poppies and up come many poppies, all of similar color and size and style. It is the same with pansies and with all the many flowers in an earthly garden.
But in My garden, each flower is different and unique, beautiful in My eyes and special. Each flower is a unique color and a unique size, and serves its own purpose and has its own place in the garden, and its own place in the heart of the Gardener. And I take each flower in My hand and I look upon it with great love and mercy. I water these flowers with the tears of My sympathy. I shine upon each flower the warmth of My love. I protect each flower with My own hands. I look upon it with great tenderness and I know each flower personally.
So do I know you—each of you is unique to Me. Each of you is a special flower in My eyes. Each has its own place, and its own purpose and calling. And I know all about your gifts, your talents, your battles, your personal issues, and all the things that bother you about yourself. The nagging problems that you can’t seem to overcome, and your spiritual strengths, and your spiritual weaknesses, and your idiosyncrasies, and all the funny things about you that make you an individual—I know these things.
I know all about your heart’s desires and your secret longings. Whatever your particular desires are, I know them.
I know about the times that you compare. I know about the times that you think negatively about yourself and you feel bad that you’re not good enough, when your weaknesses bother you and embarrass you and get you down and discourage you. You feel that there is no hope. I know about all these things and I love you anyway.
There is nothing hid from Me; I know every thought, every desire, and every secret prayer. Every time you look up to Me and you cry out to Me, I am near, and I hear your prayers and My heart is moved with compassion. I never harden My heart. I never get tired of listening to you. I never turn away. I never sleep. I never have a “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door. I am never distant. I am never too tired or too busy for you. I always hear and answer your prayers—sometimes in the way that you would desire and sometimes in ways that you know not, or in ways that you cannot yet see, but I do hear and I do answer.
My love is manifested to you in many different ways. You feel that I don’t love you and you can’t recognize My love, you can’t find My love. But My love is manifested to you in every joy and pleasure that you feel in life, in every supply of your need—this is a part of My love for you. Every time one of your brothers or sisters or loved one or friend or family gives you love and encouragement and affection, this is part of My love for you.
And every time you go to My Word and you find strength and inspiration to go on, this is part of My love for you. And when you lie down at night and you are so tired and weary from your many labors and you find sweet sleep and refreshment for your body and your spirit, this is part of My love to you. And in your times of relaxation, when you find recreation and enjoyment and laughter, this is part of My love for you. And the times when you talk with a spiritually hungry soul and you are able to give them answers that they are looking for and lead them to Me, and you experience that thrill of sharing the truth with someone who is searching, this is part of My love for you.
In every new thing that you learn, and every new experience that you have, in every way that you find satisfaction and joy and challenge and contentment of heart and rest of spirit and comfort to your body—all these things are part of My love to you. Even the littlest things can be expressions of My personal love for you.
And the more you recognize Me in the everyday affairs of your life, the more you learn to appreciate these little things that I give you and these little ways that I manifest Myself to you, so will you grow to know My love and appreciate My love and feel it.
You're each unique and special. I do not look upon you as “the masses.” I look upon you as a special, unique individual, as a unique flower in My beautiful, glorious garden. And I long to take this flower up into My hands and to kiss it and water it with My tears of compassion. I long to hold it close to My heart and warm it and shoo away any predators or evil things that may try to hurt or harm it in any way. This is My desire, this is how I care for My flowers, and this is how I care for you.
Every moment of the day and night I take you in My arms and I shield you with My love and protection. Nothing will ever separate us; nothing will ever divide us or cut the cord of love that is between us. Even when you don’t feel it, it is there. If you will just reach out and look to Me and open your eyes to the many ways that I show My love to you, it will become clearer to you. As you grow in your knowledge of Me and as you grow in your closeness to Me, as you get to know Me better, then you will feel My love more clearly.
Originally published January 1995. Updated and republished April 2012. TFI
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