How is Your Soil, Seed, and Spirit Growing?

Zinnia and Bees

Are you beginning to just think about your spring gardening? True, Spring is officially still 51 days away on March 20th, but supposedly this takes planning. Of course, some of us are gardeners and some of us definitely are not! In fact, many of us humorously have what is called a “black thumb” as compared to a “green thumb” that can grow nearly everything under the sun. And even worse, house plants turn their back on us, wilt, and die no matter what we do. It’s either we watered too much, didn’t water enough, or talked to them until they were sick of our voice! (Insert smile!) 

Many serious gardeners, though, know exactly what to do. They have a knack for preparing the soil just perfectly to produce a beautiful garden. Starting with a firm foundation is obviously a key ingredient, so they start with materials such as leaves, grass clippings, and compost. The point is to arrive at soil that will drain well and be filled with air, minerals, and living organisms among other things.      

Much effort goes into producing a healthy garden. Besides a good soil mixture, there is everything from testing soil to creating the perfect texture and type, air, water, soil life, organic material, mulch, fertilizer, pH, and nutrient deficiencies just to name a few subjects in the libraries of a gardener. It could blow our minds just trying to grow a simple garden! But many, many people enjoy this amazing hobby and they are so good at it! We send out our utmost admiration if you are one of these amazing creatures!

Soil, Seed, and Spirit

Not all of us, though, have the same talents and gifts. Yes, some people are excellent gardeners and that’s good for the rest of us. But others naturally have cultivated their own “gardens” and have found great success. Think about what we would do if our children did not have the perfect math or music teacher. Or we didn’t have a great surgeon to perform our knee operation. How about language translators, those who volunteer, people who use their gift of hospitality to serve others, and those who can brilliantly explain things to others? 

Good Garden Soil

There are so many talents in our world it could take a book to list them. And, don’t forget this: we all have a special gift given to us by God. Oh, yes, we do! It may not be apparent right now. But down deep inside, if we really think seriously about it, we know what gift has been given to us. It has been part of us from the first breath we took as a baby. Just like the good garden soil, we have a firm foundation. Now, it may very well be that we have not “watered or fertilized our soil” and, therefore, nothing has grown there yet. It’s dormant. But waiting.

We can find how to use our unique gift if we make a habit of reading God’s Word—the Bible—everyday. Several places in His book of instruction and knowledge list the many Spiritual gifts. If we get stuck, we can visit with a pastor for guidance. Many churches also have classes for discovering our Spiritual gift(s). When we approach God’s teaching on this matter with sincere hearts, God will gladly lead us to our purpose. He will provide clarity for the dream we’ve had from the very beginning. And then, He gives us the vision of how to “produce good fruit” from our garden.  

Who Doesn’t Love a Good Story?

One of the very best stories (parables) in the Bible is about planting His seed. If you haven’t read it yet, we suggest stopping for just a moment and reading Luke 8:11-15. This story is all about seed and various types of soil. It all makes perfect sense. Even if you are not the best farmer, your gift will produce a big harvest when you follow the Master Gardener.

“This is what the story means: The seed is God’s message. And the seed that fell on the good ground is like those who hear God’s teaching with good, honest hearts and obey it and patiently produce good fruit” (Luke 8:11, 15 NCV).

Feeling Stuck? This One Thing Will Fix It

Library of Learning

Some of us, if not most, have taken a college class of some sort—either for a four-year degree, just for a semester, or a night course. Maybe we have attended a seminar or two for our employers. Or, more popular in this electronic age, perhaps a podcast (a series of digital audio or video episodes) was more easily accessed to study a subject.

Whichever method we chose to “enlighten” our viewpoint and learn something new, sometimes it became more than we expected. More involvement was required (homework anyone?). Interactions with other participants working in teams seemed to slow us down or bore us. We quickly lost interest. Our brain did not comprehend our part in the process and therefore, the knowledge never had a chance to grow. We got stuck!

One Thing to Get Us Unstuck 

It’s happened to all of us at one time or another. Nothing to feel bad or guilty about though. We simply didn’t check all the requirements of the course and ended up taking the class or seminar just because our best friend was doing it or because it sounded like the popular thing to do. That’s how it usually presents itself. And it’s always a bad idea!

The better choice is to find out what we truly like to do—and are good at--and stick with that idea even if no one else understands us. It's the one thing that will get us unstuck! Even if others try to distract us or persuade us not to go that way, we know deep down inside what we want out of life. If not, then we can expect to feel less than fulfilled, frustrated, and ready to quit before the search has done us any good. 

Grow deep in good soil

Listen, that is not us! We are stronger than we think, but we won’t really know until we go after what we were made for in the first place. After all, who got us safely here at this surprising point in life anyway? Let’s take a moment and be perfectly clear and honest. God did not orchestrate our divorce as many may think. In fact, He said, “For I hate divorce!” [Malachi 2:16]. But, He was right there beside us anyway holding our right hand and helping us to stand on our own two feet when we could do nothing else. Saving us from permanent harm. He was the One who kindly brought us to this point because He still has a plan and purpose for each of us, even now!

          

Teacher of Love

So, let that “lesson” sink deep into our brains so we won’t forget it. God has a message: He loves you—even as a single-again woman! He loves me! He loves each one of us! He can do nothing else because He is the very definition of love. Where we come into this plan, is to simply “signup” for His “class” on life and stick with it. He has been keeping that “syllabus” (our purpose) safely in His hand until we were able to accept His message. This is your perfect time. And your choice.

“This is what the story means: The seed is God’s message. . .The seed that fell on the rock is like those who hear God’s teaching and accept it gladly, but they don’t allow the teaching to go deep into their lives. They believe for a while, but when trouble comes, they give up” (Luke 8:11; 13 NCV).

Simple Ways to Increase Your Faith

Pour Good Thoughts

Have you already said something like, "I hope you have a Happy New Year!" Or, "I hope my plans for finding a new job this year work out." What is actually going on in our brains with these kinds of wishes? 

Positive thoughts like these are truly an act of faith welling up inside us. We can't see them, but they rise to the surface and pour out of our minds and mouths. We can effectively use positive words to encourage others (or ourselves) and make them feel less worried about their situation. 

Our soul rejoices--like a little giggle creeping up--when we place our faith in things God has already planned and arranged for our lives. Of course, we have no idea what will happen to or for us next week, next summer, or next year. But our Creator knows. He knows! 

Sure, not everything that takes place in our lives is great. Or fun. Or what we want. That is because none of us are perfect. We make mistakes. We don't pay attention to what we are doing. We waste time, talents, and tempo.   

But there is a better way to live and enjoy life. So, first, we can identify that faith is definitely what we cannot see with our eyes, nor can we predict future events with our minds. We have to rely on our faith. If you are open to this idea and principle of faith, then, secondly, we know through experience that our faith fluctuates at times just because we are all human. It's like a thermometer. When we are sad, depressed, or even apathetic about things in our lives, our faith takes a dive and barely registers. If we are happy, joyful, content and positive, our faith soars! 

What Is the Answer?
Is there something we can do when our faith is low? This answer may seem too simple and quite opposite of what we are now thinking, but the solution is actually thankfulness! Yes, that's right. Stay with me now--there is something tangible we can do to change our situation. Have you ever tried expressing thankfulness and courting depression at the same time? It doesn't work.  

Since faith is something that can't be seen, we are suggesting keeping an on-going, daily journal on the subject of thankfulness and gratitude for every tiny thing God has given you. It's not a big chunk of time out of your day. Just take 3-1/2 minutes each evening before bed and record three things you are grateful for from that day. Be specific for big as well as all the little things each day. 

Start Your Thankfulness Journal

Thank you, God, for yellow tulips in my garden, fresh snow on the lawn, new sweater to wear, getting eight hours of sleep, friends who call, a new book to read, food in my refrigerator, and answer to my prayer for physical healing.        
   
Result? When you write down what you are grateful for, it can be seen later or tomorrow or next month. This reminder really, really works to increase the temperature of our faith thermometer!    
     
Moving Mountains
If we give God a chance, He will bless us with all the promises He has to help us enjoy a satisfying and abundant life. It's when we leave Him out of our plans--out of our lives--that things get all messed up. One of the amazing gifts God gives us is free will. We can do whatever we choose to do right or wrong; God will not stand in our way. But if we ignore His direction and plans for our lives, we cannot really expect our faith to grow. It is our hope and faith in Him that will make our paths straight. The Bible tells us that even if our faith is only as small as a mustard seed, it can move mountains! (Matthew 17:20). Nothing is impossible with God on our side!

"Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see" (Hebrews 11:1 NLT).

How Will You Make 2019 a Happy New Year?

VW Bug

Most vehicles with wheels normally have the ability to go forward as well as backward. We've seen trains travel in reverse in order to either switch tracks or connect with a different car or caboose. But they most certainly do this quickly in order to go forward which is their main purpose to get to a new destination. 

Obviously, our cars go forward and backward so we can maneuver properly in and out of garages, parking spaces, and so forth. Yet both trains and cars constantly deal with the danger of traveling backward and avoiding an accident. Amazingly, planes have no way to move in reverse! They can only go forward on the ground. And believe it or not, crash statistics show flying is the safest way to travel. Now there is something to remember!

Making 2019 a Happy New Year
This is the New Year and we are tempted to look back over 2018 to reminisce about things that have happened to us. True, we do need to learn lessons from yesterday, but constantly dwelling on every regrettable past event is a danger to our future and similar to a train traveling backward unable to stop!

We can imagine what would happen if that occurred. Derailment. An alarm should go off in our heads right about now. We simply cannot move forward with our new lives while we are simultaneously going backward. It's so much more exciting to travel ahead and see the sites!

This is our chance. We have a New Year to celebrate and are able to make plans for a better future. You may already have vague plans in the back of your mind that you wish to activate but are not quite sure how to go about it. Or maybe you haven't found the time yet to think about plans. (Careful. Don't look backward!)

With seven days already into 2019, it's time to start your new single-again life. Grab a pen and notebook or journal and make some notes. Here we go:

My Journal

Clear Thinking. Avoid vagueness in your plans. Instead, strive for developed ideas. Write down just one specific sentence or short paragraph that describes what you wish would happen now. This gets the idea out of your head and onto paper where you can see it and start planning. 

Something New. If you've had jobs before that you didn't enjoy, list three ideas to try that you are good at even if it means accepting an entry-level position. You'll be much happier!

Building Relationships. It may be time for some new friends (while hanging on to some really good friends), especially those in your same situation. They are there. You have to look for them. This could be at a new job, a friendly neighbor, or supportive Christian friends. 

Face Forward
Looking back into your past keeps God from moving you forward. Repeat that out loud! Write it on your refrigerator. Even before you were born, God made good plans for you. Not plans for disaster (that was human error). He's just been waiting for you to face forward and listen. With God absolutely nothing is impossible. This is why you need Him in your corner, especially now. Just ask Him! 

"May he grant your heart's desires and make all your plans succeed" Psalm 20:4 (NLT).