The Giving Garden

“Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others.” (Matthew 6:1 NLT)

I was scrolling through Twitter the other day, when I read an inspirational thread written by a photographer. He had woken up before sunrise to take pictures of a community garden in the predawn light . He thought he would have the place all to himself at that hour, but there was already someone there before him. He saw a hunched figure, kneeling in the dirt, tending to the ‘Giving Garden’--a plot where volunteers grew vegetables and gave them away to those in need. The photographer approached the gardener and asked if he could take a photo. She asked if he wouldn’t mind taking the photo in silhouette so she could remain anonymous. He snapped a quick picture of her just as the sun was rising. He later posted this story and the backlit picture of the gardener on Twitter.  

This anonymous gardener made an impression on me as well as on thousands of others who read about her. In a time when self-aggrandizement and grand gestures are the norm, it is rare to hear stories of true selflessness motivated by true kindness. Here was a woman who woke up before dawn when no one could see her good deed. Here was a woman who didn’t call attention to her acts of charity. Here was a woman who knelt in the dirt and worshipped God by serving others. 

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