Shade garden

From my devotional reading today:
"The Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand." Psalm 121:5

There are ferns in the garden of the soul, as well as flowers.  The flowers grwo best in the sunshine, the ferns grow best in the shade.

There is the fern of Patience, and the fern of Long-Suffering, and the fern of Meekness.  And the Great Gardner of the soul delights in the ferns, and purposes to save them from destruction by the garish day.

And so He takes us into the shade - the shade of Disappointment, or the shade of Sorrow, or the shade of Sickness and Pain.  But it is a very blessed shadow, for it is the 'Shadow of the Almighty.' And here the ferns flourish and the cloudy day makes the garden beautiful. ~ J.H. Jowett

There cannot be shade without sunshine.  There is no night without day.  There are clear skies above the clouds.  Only he who has rested in the shade, kept the vigil through the night, or walked under the clouds can light the paths of others.~ M.T.

Taken from Streams in the Desert, Vol. 2 by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman

This spoke to me today. Not because I am currently in the shade but because I have dwelled there for extended seasons. They are the seasons that brought me the deepest joy and satisfaction in the end. They are the seasons I am perhaps most grateful for above all others. It is where I came to know Jesus more intimately and received truth hidden from me perception.