ALICE & THE MAGIC GARDEN!
GP 290
12/72
1. (Some time ago we were having a problem with dissension in a certain Home. On asking the Lord what was the cause, this is the amazing answer we received!--I know you'll enjoy & be edified by it:)
2. I thought, "Lord, where are they getting this insurrection? What is causing it? Is someone still stirring up the pot & the sedition? Is this one still actively promoting it?"--But the vision the Lord gave me showed she was not. She had been doing her best to STOP it & the Lord showed me this clearly: Someone ELSE was promoting it! I was asking the Lord what to do with these people causing the trouble when suddenly I saw the following:
3. I saw this huge big old English estate like the former barons & lords lived in. Over on the right was this gigantic manor house. There were fields in the distance like a farm.
4. 'Way off as far as my eye could see was this long wall surrounding it. On my right behind me was this big, big gate. I was on the front lawn & there were quite a few small children playing around & there was a little red-headed frecklefaced boy about six in knee pants.
5. TO MY RIGHT WAS THIS PLAYGROUND & there were some little kids playing there. I saw that this little boy we shall call Johnny was there, as well as the girl we shall call Alice & some of the office girls, mostly all very LITTLE.
6. Then there was this very handsome but sinister evil looking Sorcerer standing near the playground. He seemed to be the director of Alice's playground & was directing the fun & games. He was wearing one of these round flat black hats like the Spanish toreadors wear & a long black robe, very handsome but very evil. He may not BE that evil, but in a sense he was evilly USED because of what he did.
7. I sensed that Alice was not to blame for what was happening NOW, but she was to blame for what HAD happened in the PAST, because she started it. She danced out of the playground & stopped in front of this lovely little garden plot like a little spoiled child & looked at it with such envy & jealousy, as much as to say, "Huh! Why should SHE have this nice little garden!" She really coveted that garden & was jealous of her Little Sister, whose garden it was. Little Sister had evidently taken real pride & care in growing it, even marking each plant with its name by sticking little signs around in the garden. But Little Sister was gone to work in the fields with her Father & the little plot was empty & nobody was taking care of it.
8. Johnny had been helping Little Sister in her garden. He kind of liked the garden plot & had helped her weed it & dig in it. So when he saw Alice do what she did he didn't like it, 'cause he was proud of the garden & most of all he wanted Alice to come back to play with him.
9. Now Alice had her own playground, but at the same time she was a little jealous of this Garden.
10. This handsome evil-looking Sorcerer saw her looking jealously at the Garden & mischievously handed her a package of seeds, as much as to say, "Here, would you like to play a trick on your Little Sister & Little Brother?" He didn't actually say any words but his attitude was, "THERE'S something you can DO about it.--YOU can FIX them!"
11. So Alice took the seeds thinking, "Aha! I'll play a trick on them!" It was all sort of in fun--no real harm intended. So she began to sow the seeds like she was going to sow a few weeds as a trick. With a real little impish twinkle in her eye she began to dance through the garden throwing the seeds out as she went, singing playfully & scattering the seeds. The seeds seemed magical, twinkling like little stars or sparks as they floated to the ground.
12. Johnny was so mad because his little fairy queen wouldn't play with him any more & he was real sulky & mean & began to tease & torment the other little girls & make them mad & hit them & make them cry 'cause he really didn't want to play with them. So when the little girls began to cry, Mom came out of the house & took him firmly by the hand, swatted him, scolded him & yanked him into the big Building, which seemed to be filled mostly with little boys.
13. When I asked the lord what this big house represented, I saw school rooms & the children inside were in SCHOOL. Although it seemed to be a HOME & FAMILY, at the same time it seemed the main purpose of the building was a school, yet it seemed the whole Family lived there.
14. Now the garden & the playground were all in the same yard of the school. (The Kingdom of God is partly all three of these & partly hard distant fields of labour.)
15. BUT PRETTY SOON ALICE DANCES BACK OVER TO THE GARDEN & THERE SHE SUDDENLY SEES SOMETHING THAT SCARES HER!--These ugly dark green shoots are beginning to sprout up all over the garden & they're growing so fast that they wriggle just like worms, the most horrible looking sight! They were winding up the tomato vines & covering the tomatoes & smothering all the little tender green shoots & choking the flowers & destroying the garden!
16. Alice looks at this & is horrified, 'cause she hadn't intended to totally DESTROY the garden! So she jumps in & tries to hold the plants down to keep them from growing, but they just wriggle up right through her fingers & they even begin to crawl all over her! Nothing she can do can stop it! She had sown the seeds the Evil Sorcerer gave her & now she couldn't stop it! The seeds of dissension & division & hatred towards Johnny & jealousy toward her Little Sister & Brother had started & couldn't be stopped!
17. They began to be huge vines or stalks & to go 'way up, up, up, up into the sky! As she looked in horror & her eyes followed the stalks up, up, up, suddenly she saw these big huge, ugly-looking, wicked giants climbing down the huge high stalks from the sky laughing, "Ha, Ha! Aha!--NOW we've got a way to get into the Father's Estate!" They were coming from the SKY, like SPIRITUAL demons!
18. Now she was terrified & screamed for help & the Father & Brother & Sister came rushing in from the fields.
19. Then suddenly there was this huge hand--much bigger than any MAN'S hand, supernaturally big--& I knew it was the Father's hand wielding this giant old-fashioned Axe with a big curved blade. It struck at the roots--slash, slash, slash! And it cut down the vines & cut them off right at the bases & the most peculiar thing happened: They immediately shriveled up, dried up & curled right back up into the sky out of sight & the wicked giants with them!
20. Then the Father & the Little Sister & Brother got busy digging up the roots & chopping them out, as though the things were still alive & if they didn't kill them right away they would sprout up again. Fast & furiously they dug at them, throwing them all together in a pile.
21. Then the Father looked around for the nearest, quickest place to get rid of them, for some place to dump them & burn them, & the nearest place he could see was the Playground, the sand lot! So they quickly began hauling the stuff over there load by load & burning it quick in one big bonfire in the Playground.
22. I saw the Sorcerer turn & slink out the front gate.--They were spoiling all his games & all the fun!
23. So I looked back at the Playground & thought, "Oh, no! Look at that pile of rubbish! Burning all that seems to be a pretty severe judgement on these evil weeds! Surely it's bad enough to chop them up & root them out & throw them into the Playground without BURNING them besides!"
24. But as I was thinking this & looking at the fire, I heard the Lord's voice in gentle & chiding rebuke:
25. "Fear not, Son, it is a PURGING!" In other words, they were only being cleansed, like the dross being burned out. But I thought, "How horrible!--Not only chopped up & broken up & cast into the fire & burned up, but does it mean they have to be DESTROYED--these PEOPLE that have joined in this sedition?"--And the Lord said, "No, it's just a purging."
26. Then suddenly from the ashes, just as miraculously as had grown those evil weeds, there grew up surely, beautifully & majestically this beautiful pure white lily! Then there grew another one & another one, & one by one, instead of those horrible evil weeds there was a beautiful little FLOWER bed right there in the PLAYGROUND!
27. The weeds through the purifying fire had grown into the most beautiful flowers! God had transformed them from those evil weeds into beautiful white flowers!
28. Everyone danced around & everybody was happy & the flowers & grass & trees were happy & the Little Brother & Sister were busy & happy again, too!
+ + +
29. Lord, we thank You for that beautiful picture! All's well that ends well & You always have a happy ending if we obey You & do Your Will, despite our mistakes & some things we never intended to do. TYJ! You solve everything!
30. All these things are mysteries to us, but they're clear to You. We thank You for showing us, Lord. The School & the Playground & the Garden & the Fields, Lord--all these are a part of Thy Kingdom & all of us, Lord, really want to serve Thee & do Thy Will. So help us, Lord, in Jesus' name!
31. This is the way You look at us, Lord, such a bunch of tiny little children! We thank Thee, Lord, that You DO look at some of these things this way, that it's not as serious sometimes as we think. Yet some things are sometimes even MORE serious than we thought & that we have to DEAL with.
32. We thank Thee for Thy saving hand & Thy rescue from some of our OWN dilemmas, some of the trouble we cause OURSELVES, sometimes even unintentionally. Thank You, Lord, that YOU never fail, that YOU always have the answer for EVERY problem & EVERY SITUATION.
33. You said You broke the vessel which was marred in the hand of the potter & made it again a better vessel. Here, Lord, are these that have been marred & yet YOU can cause them to GROW AGAIN into BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS out of the ASHES of the FIRES of Thy CHASTISEMENTS & PURGES! TYJ!
34. Do cause everyone to be happy again & rejoicing & reunited in fellowship, loving & forgiving one another. It's YOUR picture, Lord, & only YOU can work it out & only THOU canst solve ALL these problems, so we leave it all in YOUR hands, Lord. Help US to do whatever WE'RE supposed to do.
35. Both the Fields & the Lawn & the Garden & the Playground were all a part of the Kingdom, part of the Estate, & nobody can say, "Well, YOU'RE not of the Kingdom because YOU'RE in the Playground; or YOU'RE not of the Kingdom because YOU'RE in the SCHOOL; or YOU'RE not helping with the PLAYGROUND because YOU'RE out in the FIELDS."
36. For these are all various phases of the same ministry, all a part of the Father's Estate. Even the WEEDS finally turned out good after they had been PURGED!
37. Are you having problems in YOUR part of the Father's Estate? Has the Evil Sorcerer sown the evil seeds of jealousy or contention in YOUR Garden?--Are they growing into bitter nagging gnawing choking weeds of discontent, dissension, bitterness & strife? Are they making a way for the wicked giants of discouragement, doubt, fear, despair & even thoughts of self-destruction to enter in?
38. Call on the Father for help & "He will show thee great & mighty things thou knowest not of!"--Like the strong defending Axe of His Word that will chop down & destroy all those evil weeds & chase away the giants of gloom & bitterness & turn your ashes into lilies to make you all happy again!
39. But you must forgive those who've wronged you & seek forgiveness of those YOU have wronged & take them by the hand back into your circle of love & fellowship in happy joyful labours & pleasures together, especially your own brothers & sisters & fathers & mothers & children & loving companions!
40. And don't forget to thank the good Father for His saving hand, His mighty Axe & His loving help in time of need--& for YOUR place in His Heart & Land!--And don't let that Evil Sorcerer deceive you again!--Amen?--WLY!