Garden and the Gardener

In First Things First, A. Roger Merrill tells of a business consultant who decided to landscape his grounds. He hired a woman with a doctorate in horticulture who was extremely knowledgeable.
Because the business consultant was very busy and traveled a lot, he kept emphasising to her the need to create his a garden in a way that would require little or no maintenance on his part. He insisted on automatic sprinklers and other labour-saving devices.
Finally she stopped and said, “There’s one thing you need to deal with before we go any further. If there’s no gardener, there’s no garden!”
There are no labour saving devices for growing a garden of spiritual value. Becoming a person of spiritual fruitfulness requires time, attention and care.

From Leadership Magazine