Jon Gordon - The Garden - A Spiritual Fable About Ways to Overcome Fear, Anxiety, and Stress

“Thanks, Mr. Erwin,” said Kay as she gave him a hug while tears dripped from her eyes. Jay gave Mr. Erwin a high five. They liked hearing Mr. Erwin's words of encouragement more than the lies in their head. It certainly felt a lot better too.

“What do you say we finish for today?” asked Mr. Erwin. You two get to school and we'll talk about the last two D's tomorrow.”

“Sounds great,” the twins said in unison and as they walked towards the exit of the garden. Mr. Erwin noticed that Jay walked with his back upright for the first time.

Chapter 7

Distract

As the twins walked towards Mr. Erwin's house, they noticed a nice-looking convertible sports car in the driveway. When they walked towards the two trees, they saw the forbidden tree had twenty-dollar bills attached to all the leaves. On the bench next to where Mr. Erwin sat was a basket of candy filled with bags of gummies, sours, chocolates, and chews. The twins looked at each other and just shrugged in unison.

“Whose car is that in the driveway?” asked Jay. His shoulders were slumped again and his arms were full of bruises.

“It's mine. Why are you thinking about it?” asked Mr. Erwin, with his crutches by his side.

“I don't know. I just saw it, and it looks really cool,” said Jay. “I'd love to have a car like that one day.”

“What's with the money on the trees and the candy?” asked Kay.

“Distractions,” said Mr. Erwin. “The car, the money, the candy—they caught your attention, right?

“Yeah,” said the twins at the same time.

“It's all you've been thinking about. The fourth D I want to share with you is Distract and the enemy uses distractions all the time to catch our attention and lead us away from what matters most. In the story of Adam and Eve it says that the fruit was pleasing to the eye and desirable. It looked good and she wanted it so Eve ate the fruit first and then gave it to Adam to eat and he ate as well. The enemy is a master of distraction and getting our attention with things that are pleasing to the eye and desirable but distract us from what matters most.

“It often starts out as something that seems appealing and harmless but then has a disastrous effect. It's just some candy, and the next thing you know you are addicted to sugar. It's a nice car, and then you are going into major debt to pay for it instead of investing in your future. It's just money. Next thing you know you are working harder and harder to accumulate more of it instead of spending quality time with the ones you love and who love you.”

“So cars, money, and candy are bad for you,” said Jay. He thought maybe candy was bad, but not money and cars.

“None of them are bad; well, maybe candy is bad for your health,” Mr. Erwin said, chuckling as he looked at the fruit on the trees. “The point is that distractions are bad for you. If it's not a distraction, it's not necessarily bad. But anything that is a distraction is bad for you. Distractions are the enemy of greatness. And a distraction is anything that keeps you from what matters most.

“What matters most?” asked Kay.

“Well, let's look to the garden for the answer,” said Mr. Erwin.

“First, what matters most is your relationship with God. You must focus on that more than on your desire for what may be more appealing at the time.

“Second, what matters most is becoming all that God created you to be. Distractions cause you to become less than what God created you for. It was after they ate from the forbidden tree that Adam and Eve felt afraid and ashamed. They became fearful and hid from Him in the garden.

“Third, what matters most is your relationships with others. Adam and Eve were in partnership with God and in relationship with each other but this relationship changed after they ate the fruit. Your distractions don't just hurt you; they can also hurt those you have a relationship with.”

“Oh we know this well,” said Kay. “Our older brother started drinking in college and next thing you know he's doing drugs and it's hurt our entire family, especially our parents. He's in rehab now.”

“I'm so sorry to hear that. That's how the enemy works,” said Mr. Erwin. It starts out as just a beer. Or I'll try this drug just one time. It seems fun, pleasurable, and appealing and the next thing you know you are addicted and ruining your life and hurting the people around you.”

“When we were younger our Dad got distracted too,” said Kay while nervously tapping her foot. “It was a friendly relationship with his assistant at work that turned into an affair. Mom found out and it almost destroyed our family. She forgave him. Dad went to work for a new company. He changed a lot for the better. Things are great now with them but we know what distractions can do.” She put her arm around her brother. “That's why we want to be successful. It's why we work so hard. We want to be our best.”

Jay and Kay's father had confided in Mr. Erwin years ago about what had happened so he wasn't surprised to hear the news, but he didn't think it was his place to share that with the twins.

“Yep, we all make mistakes,” he said. “Distractions can lead to mistakes and failures but I also want to point out that success can be a distraction too and lead to a different kind of failure, the kind where success becomes your number one driving force. You and Jay want to be successful, and I think that's great but be careful because it can become a distraction. You might want success so bad that you focus more on that than on God. It all seems so appealing. The bright lights. The fame. The fortune. But it can be a distraction too if it keeps you from God and what matters most.”

“So I shouldn't strive to be a great student and athlete?” asked Kay.

“I want to be great filmmaker,” said Jay. “Is that wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong with wanting to be great,” Mr. Erwin said. God made you to be great so He wants you to pursue greatness. But this pursuit must include trust and faith in Him. Your desire for God must be greater than your desire for success.

“I know way too many wealthy people who have a great career, a big house, five cars like mine, and they are absolutely miserable and disconnected from God and the important people in their life. The truth is the day we die it won't matter what kind of car we drive, how big our house is, how much money we have in the bank. What will matter is did we live the life God created us to live? Did we develop great relationships? Did we make a difference in the lives of others? At the end of their lives far too many people realize they were focused on the wrong things, but it's too late. It’s not too late for both of you.”

“Why do we get distracted?” asked Jay. “I don't want to end up focusing on the wrong things in my life. How do I know what's a wrong thing?”

“If it's not helping you become all God created you to be, then it's the wrong thing,” said Mr. Erwin. “And sometimes the wrong thing isn't even a bad thing. There's a saying, ‘If the devil won't make you bad, he'll make you busy.’ He'll get you to focus on all the things that don't matter instead of what does matter. You may not do drugs, commit adultery, or hurt someone, but you may spend way too much time on social media, binge watching TV, or stay in an unhealthy relationship. You may be busy but not productive. Watching a show, playing a video game, or social media aren't bad things and if you do them in moderation that's fine. It becomes a distraction and problem when you do it too much instead of creating your life. I always told my kids: Create more than you watch.”

Jay and Kay both looked at each other sheepishly, knowing they spent way too much time on their phones that were currently in their backpacks and binge-watching tv shows.