I do not have a green thumb. But I do have a garden. You do too.
"Sister, Sister, how does your garden grow?"
While it may seem like an odd time of year to be talking about planting anything in the soil of our backyards, it's an excellent time to talk about planting seedlings with eternal possibilities in the soil of our hearts and souls.
What's growing in the garden of your life? When I lived in a different climate, my husband and I planted several flower beds in our back yard. During the spring and summer they were abundant with zinnias, impatiens, peonies, and marigolds. And besides these flowering plants we had cucumbers, okra, tomatoes, peppers, and squash bursting forth from the ground.
But in the fall and winter, after the garden had stopped producing the plants we had carefully selected and sown into the earth, the garden produced different plants: weeds. There was always something growing in those little plots of soil whether we intentionally planted the seeds or not.
In the same way, there are things growing in your life even as you read this post. Whether you are growing the fruit of righteousness because you've carefully sown and tended to seeds of truth or you're producing the weeds of worldliness, something grows in your life even today.
At the top of the year is a good time to assess what is growing in your life. Let's take today to honestly examine the new growth in our lives and see if we are producing something wholesome and worthy or if we're accidentally growing bothersome weeds that can potentially choke out that which is beautiful and delicate but worthy of admiration.
"Sister, Sister, how does your garden grow?"
As you closely examine the garden of your life, do you find:
- bitterness - over a loss, an injustice, a disappointment
- jealousy - over someone else's accomplishment, possessions, beauty, relationships
- unforgiveness - for a past hurt or offense
- apathy - toward your spiritual life, your work at home, your goals, your health
- selfishness - displayed in your finances, your time, your involvement with others
- conceit - accompanied by self-centeredness, pride, arrogance, and judgment of others
- other ugly weeds?
In contrast, maybe there are some lovely things growing profusely in your life right now. I hope so. Do you find:
- joy - despite the circumstances
- peace - that surpasses understanding
- love - for others and for God
- patience - with circumstances and with people
- kindness - demonstrated through goodness of deed and tongue
- gentleness - even when you are treated roughly
- faithfulness - in the small things and the large
- self-control - in your diet, your exercise, your spiritual disciplines, your tongue
"Sister, Sister, how does your garden grow?"
The rest of the week I'll provide some "gardening tips" for planting only the best seeds into the soil of our lives. I hope you'll join me!
Labels: Christian walk, commitment, What's in Your Pack
