This year the cold seems to be holding on for far too long…too far into April. Yet the sun peeked out the other day and I took full advantage. I pulled out the patio table, set the chairs around and took in the warmth. I set the glider swing in place and it was soon occupied with books and young ones reading. Bicycle tires were pumped up and riding commenced up and down the sidewalk. Aaahhh…nothing like spring to bring back summer joys.
And with all this getting ready for warm…memories of summer come flooding back. Plans formulate—and in my mind—it all comes together. Yet I know that simple ideas and plans in my mind don’t make it happen. Work is involved!
Each year we plan our garden and what we want to grow. We plan for the old standby’s, new things we want to try, and eliminate “what’s just not working!”
Gardening takes work…planning, preparing, tilling the ground, supporting new shoots of growth, fertilizing, watering and weeding. No one just goes to their garden at harvest time and finds great fruit and veggies all ripe and ready to harvest. It takes work, time, devotion and more work.
The same is true with our own lives. We must intentionally:
- work the soil of our hearts…keeping it pliable to His Word.
- tend the ground of our minds…keeping watch over what we allow in.
- support the small shoots of faith God is desiring to grow in us.
- fertilize with the right stuff ( Fertilize – make soil or land more fertile or productive by adding suitable substances to it.)
Over the next little bit, each one of these will be its own blog post—a more indepth look at how we accomplish these things in our lives. I believe God desires growth in us and our part is allowing Him to be The Gardener.
At times, we can become stagnant in our growth, content with where and who we are and not always pressing on to new depths or new areas of maturity.
So let this be a season where we learn and work together, allowing God to work us over, under and through…tilling up the ground…ready for a new season of growth in our lives.
At times I like to personalize prayers spoken by others in the Bible. I have done this here with Colossians 1:9-12. My hope is you will make this a prayer of yours as we journey together into this season of new growth.
Heavenly Father,
I continually ask you to fill me with the knowledge of Your will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that I may live a life worthy of the Lord and please you in every way, bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of You. Being strengthened with all power according to Your glorious might so that I may have great endurance and patience and giving thanks joyfully to the Father, who has qualified me to share in the inheritance of His people in the kingdom of light. ~~ Amen
Tripping Over Typeset 