I’m no gardener. It’s safe to say every plant given to me as a present has ended up dead at my hands: never deliberately, but I just never seem to get the hang of when to water and how much to water. I’ve killed plants by over-watering them; I’ve killed plants by forgetting to water them. Even so-called ‘indestructible’ plants have perished at my hands. I’m not proud of this fact, but I cannot deny that when I read about God as gardener and the many references to trees, fruit and plants in the Bible, I feel I have little practical experience of the concepts involved in fruitful growth.
A watering can is a portable container, usually with a handle and a spout, used to water plants by hand. The advantage of the spout is that the water flow is regulated and therefore the amount of water used can be determined by the gardener, according to the needs of the individual plants.
A fire extinguisher, on the other hand, wouldn’t be much use as a tool for watering plants. Its function is in its name: it’s used to extinguish fires. Water fire extinguishers release plenty of water, but they would probably drench any plant! – and as I’ve discovered, too much water can be as bad as too little!
People can be rather like fire extinguishers, sadly, putting out the fire of the Spirit and dampening people’s enthusiasm and zeal and ultimately crushing others through their discouragement. We need to see other people as delicate plants and listen for the Gardener’s advice on how to encourage fruitful growth. The gentle watering can, bringing encouragement and upbuilding (see Job 15:11, Prov 25:11), bring forth growth. Our words, when used to build up and lift up the discouraged and weary, can be like ‘custom-made jewellery’, something refreshing to the thirsty (Prov 11:25).