Mother's Day & Gardening

My mom got to visit and be with us for Mother's Day this year and it was so fun to have her! She was a florist and is a master gardener so we typically do some planting when she's here. She is really good at it and loves it. Me on the other hand...not so much. But, I love doing it with her because she knows what she's doing and the end product is always so beautiful to enjoy in our front yard! 

We spent literally 3ish hours tilling up the dirt, getting the rocks out, adding in some soil amendment for nutrients for our new pants, and finally putting the new flowers/plants in the ground. Getting the soil READY for the new plants took up about 3/4 of the work and time. Putting the new plants in and doing the fun part took up the last 20 minutes. And everyone who loves some instant gratifications said "AH!"

As we broke up the hard, dry dirt and sifted the rocks and weeds out I was reminded of the parable of the sower in Matthew 13 and how this is so like the way Jesus works on our hearts and in our lives. HE is the master gardner in our lives and our hearts are that soil. He gives us four different pictures of what the soil of our hearts can be like when the seed of His Word is sewn:

Matthew 13: 3-8
"Then he told them many things in parables, saying: 'A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."

Matthew 13:18-23
“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path.  The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.  But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the world, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

• The Path: Does not understand and the enemy comes to snatch it away.
• Rocky Places: Receives it with joy, but has no root so it only lasts a short time. When trouble comes it quickly goes away. 
• Thorns: Worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.
• Good Soil: Hears it, understands it, and produces a crop yielding 100, 60, or 30 times what was sown. 

This begs the question: which state is our heart in? Is it The Path where we read the Bible and get frustrated because it makes no sense so we close it up for lack of understanding? Is it Rocky Places where we get it, we receive it, but are so inconsistent in our Bible and prayer time that we don't have deep enough roots so it cannot sustain us through hard times and we quickly forget what we heard? Is it Thorns where our lives are just so overwhelmed with stress and worry and chaos and the things of the world that what we hear or read can't even get in because we're so consumed already by those other things? Or is it Good Soil where consistent prayer and bible time allows those roots to go down deep and we are not shaken by worry or fear or the things of this world and in return we see the beautiful fruit in our lives and homes like grace, love, peace, patience, gentleness, self control, kindness, goodness, joy, faithfulness? 

I can definitely say that I have found myself in all four of those places! There are seasons where I can for sure say I am GOOD SOIL. I am on it, I am in a groove of waking up early to spend my quiet time with the Lord and feel so set up for my days/weeks and face things with the mindset of Christ, rooted in who He is and who I am in Him. Then there are other times when my life looks more like the rocky places and thorns.  No matter where we fall on the spectrum, though, God loves us. He delights in us. And there is no condemnation in him when we aren't in that good soil place. There is simply an excitement and invitation from Him to be with him. 

What does it look like to be the picture on the right instead of the left? For me it takes exercising the self-discipline muscle and committing to wake up early to read The Word.  And in the tiredness, remember that God's economy is not ours. He will return to us way more than we could ever give to him.