Do you want to be closer to God in the comfort of your own backyard? This article will definitely be useful to you. Even though you might not be the best at decorating, these tips should get you out of trouble and help you create the most peaceful, relaxing prayer garden. Regardless of your yard’s current state, with a little time and financial investment, you’ll get it right in less than a week. Here’s what you should do:
Make It Alive
The first and most important aspect of transforming your yard in a prayer garden would be to add elements that make it alive and animate. Nature is perhaps the one detail that can change the ambience of a garden entirely. A dull yard won’t ever put you in the mood for prayer, so try to add elements like water fountains, exotic plants or interesting bird baths that attract living beings to your heavenly corner.
You don’t have to challenge yourself financially or to invest a lot of time in maintaining a huge pond in your backyard. As long as you hear some water pouring around you, some birds chirping around and some butterflies flying above your head, you will remember how wonderful God is and how delicately He built the world we get to enjoy every single day of our lives. This will be much better than being welcomed by the desolate sight of concrete or dirt.
The More Colors, the Better
Another way to remind yourself about the beauty of life and induce a spiritual ambience would be to include a lot of colors in your prayer garden’s design. Green is the color of life - you see it every day in nature. Make sure that your backyard grass is green and healthy and top everything with your favorite plants. You should think ahead of a layout - a patio, surrounded by flowers, that leads to a beautiful pavilion where you can sit and pray in silence.
The flowers that are used in Catholic prayer gardens are very specific. If your location allows you, grow lilies, roses, star of Bethlehem, violets and forget-me-not. These all signify something related to the Blessed Virgin and are normally used in Mary gardens. Lilies are a sign of Virgin Mary’s purity and you can see them in many depictions of Her. Roses are usually dedicated to the royalty and Virgin Mary is the queen of Heaven.
You can build a pavilion by yourself, or you can buy a ready-made one. Either way, you don’t need a lot of money to own one. It can be smaller so that one person can fit and pray in it. Decorate it with spiritual items of your choice. You can buy different elements to decorate the pavilion. Those that have a deep religious meaning are the best. You can build a storage space for all of your rosaries, medals, plaques, and crucifixes. Look for items that are blessed by Pope Francis himself for the holiest effect.
Add a Personal Touch to Your Prayer Garden
As long as you don’t feel comfortable, the garden won’t be suitable for having your praying session. You have to pour your heart and soul into it. The whole purpose of this journey is to create a meditative space around your house where you can take a few minutes to disconnect from the busy world around you and reconnect with God. Many Catholics choose to take their prayer sessions to Mary Gardens around their cities, but it is much more comfortable to step outside in your own garden, one minute away from your kitchen.
All items that would make you feel more comfortable while praying should have a place in your garden. If you want to invest in a Blessed Virgin statue, feel free to do it. If you would like to build a bookshelf where you can place your favorite Bible editions or other books about spirituality inside your pavilion, don’t hold back. It’s all about what puts you in the mood for praying. God will always speak clearly to your heart when the ambiance is right. A prayer garden does exactly that, by allowing you to bask in God’s almighty creation. Acknowledge the purpose of your garden and strive for uniqueness while decorating it. A personal, intimate place is much better than a public, dull place.
Extra Tip: Acts of Charity
If your garden is facing the nearest street and neighbors can reach it by crossing by, you can create a prayer drop box. This box should look like a simple P.O. box where people can drop a written request for prayer. You and your family can gather these messages later and spend your time praying for your neighbors or whoever goes through a rough patch and would like to know that someone cares as well.
It’s a small gesture, but it can mean the world to some people and God will surely reward your beautiful behavior for it. This is definitely an uncommon idea, but it can enlighten your day and give you another purpose to pray, even though you might have no inspiration to pray for yourself or your family members.
Windup
All in all, the tips you found in this article should help you put together a beautiful prayer garden for you and your family. Having a private spiritual place where you can be closer to God can be life-changing – it can transform your mindset, it can make you feel at peace with yourself and with the world. A regular praying schedule in the comfort of your own home will change the way you perceive spirituality altogether. Give it a try and see how life changes in front of your eyes!
