Lessons In The Dirt
Last weeks blog post I spoke a little about me beginning a garden and how deep within the soil, God breathes! If you missed last weeks lesson, head there now!
I never had the chance to grow a garden in our new home the past two years. Each time I’d try, it never worked out. But this year, as I felt the Lord drawing me into beginning a garden, I couldn’t be more excited. Now this wasn’t my first time to have a garden, just my first time to garden here in this home. I began to turn the soil over, square off the area I was needing, and began making rows for the seeds that were growing inside. I noticed a few worms and rocks deep in the ground, but I knew that it would be okay. We do need some worms and rocks. Rocks helps drainage so the roots don’t rot and we needs worms to help with the soil.
Two weeks passed and we noticed the plants that were growing inside were ready to be transferred out. I was so excited to transfer them over outside and grow more to produce fruit and vegetables.
But that quickly changed. Within three days, I noticed they were withered and gone. There was no surviving of these plants. My heart shattered and broke! I couldn’t believe after all the hard work only to see death into these things.
It was then, when I stared at the dirt, that I felt ministered in the most profound, convicting, ways.
The dirt seemed good. It seemed it could grow plants. But the dirt wasn’t good at all. It may have seemed like it, but instead it was clay-hard like dirt that soon suffocated the roots.
“The same way the dirt ‘appeared’ good, thinking it was good, so are the things here in this world. It can seem good, feel good, look good, but it doesn’t mean it always is good.”
The enemy works the same way deceiving people into thinking this “good” temporary thing is good for you, but it never is. We must always stand guard, having our full armor of God on, knowing and discerning the difference.
I then, remembered the verses about the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13. Jesus sat with the crowds teaching them this parable about the seeds.
There’s three instances:
1. A sower went out to sow some seed, some seeds fell on the ground there they did not have much soil, immediately they sprang up since they had no depth of soil but as soon as the sun rose up, they scorched. Since they had no root, they withered away.
2. Other seeds fell among the thorns and the thorns grew up and choked them.
3. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain and some hundredfold, some sixty, some eighty.
This parable is about the Word of God, the seed, and how the riches and cares of this world can quickly take the seeds and hinder their growth. How the enemy can quickly deceive if we are not on guard and careful.
Oh dear sister, I wish I could hug you right now and tell you to keep looking up for the good, because it is there. Don’t feel condemned, but instead feel corrected in the most loving gentle way. We are called to be women who are deeply rooted in God, who hide his Word deep within our soil (our hearts), protecting and guarding it with our life.
I’ll be sharing more on this subject next Thursday as we continue our series “Lessons In The Garden”.
Challenging Questions:
- How many times have you found yourself looking for the “good” temporary things here?
- Where do you find your heart leading you to?
- Where do you see your mind wandering off to?
- Was there a time you felt something “good” only to see it wasn’t good?
The way to becoming a deeply rooted woman of God, is by allowing him to correct us in our wrongs, receive what He has for us, and allowing Him to lead us into the better place.
Verses to Ponder on:
- Matthew 6:21 “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” ESV
- Psalm 51:10 “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” ESV