A reflective essay on Gardens of the Earth and the Ones of the Soul as I sowed our garden and worked on a sewing project.
I sensed God was inviting me into the soil of my garden and my soul, too. I felt the Spirit gently tell me to pay attention. #garden #spiritualgrowth #encouragement
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Trusting in the One who know…
God often speaks to me in themes. So when my husband invited me to help him prepare the soil for our garden, my ears perked up. We were also beginning to assemble a project, which required some sewing.
Of course, I am thinking of sowing and sewing…and how interesting these two projects came simultaneously.
My thoughts… we needed to prepare the soil for the garden and acquire the supplies–the mulch and fertilizer—and the same was true for the sewing project, such as fabric, batting, and a special needle.
Sow and sew…
Prepare….
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In Springtime, exquisite flowers bloom almost everywhere. They seem to know precisely when to wake up as if God’s alarm clock has gone off.
I experienced stunning blooms, a book contract, a literary agent, and recent friendships this Spring.
Yet, as my husband and I prepared our garden for planting, I sensed God was inviting me into the soil of my garden and my soul, too. I felt the Spirit gently tell me to pay attention.
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We live in Georgia, and the dirt is dense red clay. Plants love red clay, but the soil needs to be amended with compost to make it more accessible for the plant’s roots. Also, you must remove all the tiny rocks pushed up from the earth. So, in a wheelbarrow, my husband dumped the clay with compost, and first, with a hoe, I broke up clumps. Afterward, I went in by hand, mixing it all together.
Something about getting my hands in the dirt feels natural and good. Although messy and labor-intensive, the joy of preparing our garden was deeply rewarding.
God subsequently brought my spiritual garden beds to my attention. Was my ground prepared to receive His seeds? What work did I need to do to bear future fruit and blooms?
What was I planting?
The prophet Hosea wrote: “Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, till He comes and rains righteousness on you.”(Hosea 10:12, NKJV)
Like the Georgia clay, was my soul soil at risk of being too hard? Would God’s Word and seeds be able to take root here?
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Then the STORMS came:
The tornado warning came as light flashed and thunder rumbled, and we ran down with our backpacks and supplies to spend the night in the basement. Another morning, I awoke to a nearby county siren. A string of rejections from publishers and a falling out with a friend followed. The tornados, storms, warnings, and spending the night in the basement mirrored my inner storms.
As I journaled my concerns, God brought this to my mind, don’t let storms sidetrack you. When you experience rejection, remember that sometimes the world does not choose you, but God always chooses you. When you have a misunderstanding with a friend, apologize and make up.
The enemy of our souls loves to use spiritual warfare to stop us from being the sons and daughters of God that we are, to prevent us from His good work by sending depression, anxiety, shame, and guilt.
The enemy tries to magnify the rejection and the storms, while God magnifies the blessing and love.
Does a flower ever feel rejected or unloved?
God used the storms of rejection and offense to prepare the soil of my heart. I had grown a little proud and hardened and needed to be broken up through repentance and humility.
As I repented, my heart softened. As I drew near God, I could see that there were some things He wanted me to let go of to receive His blessings. There were some apologies to be made.
Like the garden, my heart and life needed attending, tending, tilling, and toiling. Did my soil need amending and breaking up? Were there any rocks that needed to be removed?
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At the beginning of each season, I read Jennifer Dukes Lee’s book Growing Slow: Lesson on Un-Hurrying Your Heart From an Accidental Farm Girl. I can’t quote her entire Spring section here, but I will leave us with this: “As long as there is soil, God is always planting. He refuses to see you as anything less than a field worth tending, and he is willing to grow slow with us. This is his outrageous love. This is his Growing Slow way. Before he grows good things through us, he wants to grow good things in us.” (Jennifer Dukes Lee p. 35,36)
Spring can become a bustle of activity, but perhaps this is also why God invites us into the garden way of living: to slow down, to not miss anything, to not miss Him, to grow good things in us so He can grow good things through us. But how do we prepare our spiritual garden beds to receive God’s Word, Blessings, and Seeds? The following spiritual practices are helping me slow down and tend to my soul’s garden beds.
- Preparing: Each morning (and as needed), ask God to search your heart and repent of sin. Let the blood of Jesus cleanse you. Receive His new mercies.
- Removing rocks: Ask God if any stones need to be removed. These could even be things that were once good but no longer required in your journey, such as an unhealthy relationship, sins, or idols.
- Sow to bloom planting seeds: Our heart soil is ready for the seeds God wants to grow. By praying, meditating on God’s Word, and worshipping, Living Water nurtures these seeds to bear future fruit and blooms.
- Tending: We tend to our spiritual garden by weeding and pruning any sins, bitterness, or spiritual weeds taking root in our soul garden. Sometimes, we are late bloomers, but remember you are never late in God’s perfect timing. Keep tending.
God doesn’t want us to miss the best days of our lives. So He invites us to draw nearer to the garden to remind us to sit with Him. He is ready to transform our lives through His Word, but we must prepare our hearts and souls for Him.
In the morning sow your seed, And in the evening do not withhold your hand; For you do not know which will prosper, Either this or that, Or whether both alike will be good.
—Ecclesiastes 11:6
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What are the lessons here?
God teaches us powerful spiritual lessons through creation. That is why the garden is such a beautiful and helpful metaphor for spiritual growth. We can use the cycles of the growing season to model our own spiritual cycles.
I think the most significant lesson is to trust in God as He leads us in preparing our hearts, sowing seeds, and growing. We can’t control the outcome, but we can trust in God who does.
The care and love we put into tilling and sowing our garden shows us the importance of nurturing our spiritual life with intentional care and effort. Just as our garden will bloom and bear tomatoes, peppers, and more, we will experience a beautiful spiritual harvest by tending our spiritual gardens.
When reading Hosea 10, the word ‘fallow’ jumped at me. PAY ATTENTION.
After meditation and prayer, this verse led me to write this piece to encourage me and you.
God wants us to actively engage in spiritual growth, much like we do with our gardens. As we break up unplowed and uncultivated ground, we break up the fallow ground of our hearts. Deep into this rich soil (soul ), we sow seeds of righteousness as we drink in His Living Water and Word. By seeking the Lord, we will yield a spiritual harvest full of God’s beautiful love and blessings.
During the process of preparing my soul garden, I had to remove some rocks such as jealousy, bitterness, and offense; I had to amend my dirt with His Word, water my garden with His living water, tend to my garden of weeds, and prune to be the best daughter in the garden to bear His fruit and flowers.
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A Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for your beautiful garden of creation and the one in my heart, too. Help me to grow beautiful blooms and fruit to glorify You. My soul tended to seek and draw near to my Lord with Holy Love, Water, and Spirit.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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Thank you for reading my reflections here on gardens of the earth and ones of the soul. I would love to know your thoughts on this. Does the garden metaphor speak to you? How about Hosea 10:12-does ‘fallow’ jump out at you? What are you growing in your garden? See you in the comments, and bless you with love, Deborah
(Oh, and the sewing project is going along well!)
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This ministered to my soul, sweet friend. Thank you! You are a blessing!