I had a personal revelation the other day in my oh-so-tiny garden that has been personally challenging me. It was a normal sunny Sunday afternoon. I was feeling anxious. So I did what most normal-ish people do and I headed outside to catch my breath.
As I was standing in my tiny backyard, I looked around and noticed that the one flower bed looked untamed; wild; overthrown with weeds and some very dead looking plants, whilst the rest of my flower beds looked lush, beautiful and very well kept. I closed my eyes and concentrated on deep relaxing breaths, as I felt the sun shine against my face. I opened my eyes and I knew that it was time to finally sort out the mini flower bed, aka “the flower graveyard.”
I began removing the dead plants and weeds. I then removed the rocks and tossed the soil repeatedly, and finished it off by watering the soil. When I saw that the soil was weed free and freshly prepped I started to envision what could be planted in this flower bed.
As strange as this may sound I had a revelation whilst gardening. I felt God say to me: “Just like this flower bed needs to be nurtured, and taken care of, so do you.”
IN-BETWEEN THE WEEDS
This made me think of the following:
1. Weeds and rocks: Weeds and rocks stunt and stop the growing process. Often in our lives we let lies, distractions, disappointments, and hurt stop us from moving forward. Therefore we need to be mindful of sifting out and uprooting the weeds in our lives.
2. Remove the dead: Often dead things take up unnecessary space, and block the potential that lies within. Removing dead things that aren’t growing within our lives frees up space for new things to be birthed.
3. Toss the soil: In order for plants to be able to endure all seasons well, the soil needs to be tossed and prepared. The soil needs to be maintained well, as it supplies the minerals and nutrients that the plants need in order to grow. When the soil is good and healthy, the roots anchor themselves well, allowing the whole plant to flourish.
4. Sow new seeds: Once the flowerbed has been prepped, there is now space for new things to be sown. It’s the same with us: when we let go of things that stop us from flourishing, we create space for something new to be birthed.
5. Water: Watering nourishes a plant and it helps the plant to grow. In life we need to invest in things that feed us, nurture us, and grow us in character.
6 . The Gardener: The gardener has the vision for the garden and knows its potential. The gardener also takes care of the plants by watering, pruning, and removing weeds and unwanted materials from the flowerbed. The same is true for us when it comes to being in a relationship with God. God knows the vision and purpose for our lives. If we let Him, He will always look after us, and help us to flourish and overcome any obstacle. He will remove dead things, weeds, and any unhealthy fruit. If we let Him, He will lovingly restore us, strengthen us, and help us to flourish no matter the season.
If you would like to find out more about being in a relationship with God, then may I encourage you to click on the link below.