Stretched
along the east side of the Mississippi River in St. Cloud, Minnesota, are two glorious sanctuaries of natural color. Between the river and Riverside Drive a
visitor walks circuitous lanes among a delicious chaos of flowers strewn in a
variety of unpredictable settings. These are the Munsinger Gardens. On the
other side of Riverside Drive are the Clemens Gardens where geometric walkways
move deliberately from one collection of organized beauty to another.
Recently
Judy and I visited these creations and left them, reluctantly, with a new
appreciation for the word “subdued” in God’s first command to the father of the human race.
“Be fruitful and multiply...
fill the earth and subdue it...
have dominion over the fish of the sea and
over the birds of the heaven
and over every living thing that moves
on the earth.”
The
word is curious since it occurs prior to the disastrous effects of man’s
rebellion and, yet, implies a disorder. In other words, although God created a
perfect natural environment with healthy ecological balance wherever we might
have looked, he did so in a way which required mankind to keep track of it and
keep it functioning as it ought. At the same time, he designed it to provide an opportunity for mankind to demonstrate the image-of-God gift of creativity. The Munsinger/Clemens Gardens give intense examples of this creativity.
The
Munsinger grounds are fractalian, adventuresome, surprising. They are an
organized chaos designed to please the eye with rambling variety. 
The layout of the Clemens grounds, on the other hand, offer satisfying formality.
Each produces
its own version of “Wow!” Both evoke respect for their creators; and both renew
a commitment within the soul of those who trust The Creator of all. A commitment to respect
the gardening work he does within our own lives whether it be in times of apparent chaos or stretches of formal predictability.
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