Practicing the means of grace is similar to tending a garden. The gardener prepares the soil, distributes water, plants seeds, and daily supports the seeds through germination, growth, and fruit. However the gardener does not have the power to create the seed, sunlight, or water, or to cause it to grow or produce fruit. The gardener participates in the cultivation of the growth and fruit. However, the miracle of the seed, its growth, and its fruit comes from God. In this way gardening is similar to practicing the means of grace.
p. 38, All the Good – A Wesleyan Way of Christmas, courtesy Gordons Chapel United Methodist Church.