To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:27
Last night, Linda and I attended the well-done performance of the Secret Garden done by a group of drama students from Heritage Christian Academy. The Secret Garden is a children's novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett first published as a book in 1911,
This story takes place at the turn of the century in Yorkshire, England when a young 10-year-old girl named Mary who was born to wealthy British parents who never wanted her who was raised by her servants who truth be told allowed her to be spoiled, aggressive and a selfish child. After the Chorea epidemic killed her parents and her servant, she was brought to England to live with her uncle, Archibald Craven, at his isolated house, Misselthwaite Manor. Archibald is seen sitting in a chair looking sad while aimlessly looking at a decorative Jewelry box.
At first, Mary hated everything about this new home until a good-natured maid named Martha Sowerby tells Mary about the late Mrs. Craven, who would spend hours in a private walled garden growing roses. Mrs. Craven died after an accident in the garden, and the devastated Mr. Craven locked the garden and buried the key.
Soon she comes to enjoy the company of Martha, the gardener Ben Weatherstaff, and a friendly robin redbreast. Her health and attitude improve, and she grows stronger as she explores the moor and plays with a skipping rope that Mrs. Sowerby buys for her. Mary wonders about both the secret garden and the mysterious cries that echo through the house at night.
As Mary explores the gardens, her robin draws her attention to an area of disturbed soil. Here Mary finds the key to the locked garden and eventually the door to the garden itself.She asks Martha for garden tools, which Martha sends with Dickon, her 12-year-old brother. Mary and Dickon take a liking to each other, as Dickon has a kind way with animals and a good nature. Eager to absorb his gardening knowledge, Mary tells him about the secret garden.
One night, Mary hears the cries once more and decides to follow them through the house. She finds a boy named Colin living in a hidden bedroom. She soon discovers that they are cousins, Colin being the son of Mr. and Mrs. Craven, and that he suffers from an unspecified spinal problem. Mary visits him every day that week, distracting him from his troubles with stories of the moor, Dickon and his animals, and the secret garden. Mary finally confides that she has access to the secret garden, and Colin asks to see it. Colin is put into his wheelchair and brought outside into the secret garden. It is the first time he has been outdoors for years.
As Colin's health improves, his father sees a coinciding increase in spirits, culminating in a dream where his late wife calls to him from inside the garden. When he receives a letter from Mrs. Sowerby, he takes the opportunity finally to return home. He walks the outer garden wall in his wife's memory, but hears voices inside, finds the door unlocked, and is shocked to see the garden in full bloom, and his son healthy. The servants watch, stunned, as Mr. Craven and Colin walk back to the manor together.
As I reflect on grief, I am reminded how in every life we tend to stuff all of our pain following a loss of a loved one inside a box, and we take that box and throw away the key, hoping to never experience our pain again. If, however, we face our pain, we may experience the beauty of life just like Mr. Craven, Colin and Mary experienced when they discovered the garden the late Mrs. Craven had so diligently worked on through the years before her sudden and tragic death.
The amazing thing about life is that we have a savior named Jesus who wants to walk with us on our journey. He wants to take the muck and mire of your pain and reveal to you the secret garden that you were unable to see. Our God is truly a wonderful God!
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