Heavy love sometimes requires hard work, like pulling weeds. 

Living on a small farm in the country surrounded by woods I see the order and rhythm of God in the changing seasons. He has a purpose for each season and a plan for each seed. Some seeds are beneficial and good. Other seeds cause harm. The Holy Spirit in His loving way reminded me of the parable Jesus taught about the sower in Luke chapter eight. I have read this parable many times and have heard preachers teach about it. I always thought of it in terms of the lost or the saved, but the Holy Spirit prompted me to look a little deeper. It is about the condition of the heart. All hearts.

A Christian can have a hard, stony heart, too. A Christian can have a dry heart or one full of stress and worry. The Word of God was the seeds sown by the sower in the parable. Words are seeds. Allow that to sink in for a moment. Our hearts are like gardens where God, and others, plant seeds.

I have had seasons when I neglected the garden of my heart. I allowed stress and sorrow to choke it with weeds. I have had times when I felt dry and wondered where was God?  I have felt the thorns of fear tangle my heart and the stoniness of doubt harden it. I have allowed the bad seeds of lies from the enemy or loved ones to be planted in my heart growing their weeds. They choked out the good seeds of truth God planted. Have you struggled with these things, too? Much like some weeds which are harder to kill, some words planted in our hearts try to return over and over. I must keep watch over my heart’s garden and pull those weeds while they are small. 

I desire for my heart’s garden to produce good fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of peace, joy, love, patience, and kindness that He has planted in me. He has supplied the seed as it reminds me in 2 Corinthians 9:10 and longs to see me produce the fruits of righteousness from those seeds.

The Holy Spirit reminded me I am responsible for my heart’s garden. I need His help to sort the good from the bad, but I must be willing to roll up my sleeves and do the hard work. When my heart feels dry, I need the Living Water to restore and refresh it. Have you ever tried to pull weeds in hard, dry ground?  I also need His word coming alive and taken in daily to feed it. I need His truth to sort out the lies growing like weeds. I must have His knowledge to sort through the tangles and remove them. I must have the Light of the world to grow and bloom. He loves me so much and He knows the good seed He placed in my heart. I must also remember He loves me while He prunes away the unnecessary things or dead growth.

Yes, I am responsible for the soil in my heart’s garden, and no one else’s. I cannot pull their weeds or turn their soil. I cannot remove their stones, but I can be careful with my words. Yikes! What a hard thing to remember sometimes! I have to listen when the Holy Spirit tells me to be quiet. Why? Those words are seeds and I don’t want to sow bad seeds to grow a harmful harvest in someone else’s life. It is a hard thing when you see a loved one struggling. I can pray for God to give me good seed to plant.

I am praying for God to help me stay connected to the True Vine and produce much fruit for Him. I want to love Him when it is hard to see the beauty and trust in His plan. I want to love God hard whether it is dark or bright, and love others hard when all that can be seen are the weeds. I can’t pull your weeds, but I can cheer you on while you do the hard work and bring you a cool drink from the Living Water.

How is the garden of your heart? Are you sowing good seed in someone else’s life? What good seed is being revealed in your life? 

Teresa Martin is a Revelation Wellness Instructor from Platoon 20 living outside of Adamsville, Tennessee. She has chickens, keeps bees, and has a loving husband willing to plant sunflowers and clover for her creatures.

Workout with us in this #wednesdayworkout! For more workouts like this, visit RevWell TV!

SARA’S ARMS & CORE – “DO YOU STAND OUT?”

Gone are the days of crunches only. This workout will teach you how to use your core, whether on your feet or on the floor. Core training is fundamental to functional muscle development, agility, balance, coordination, and good posture. (ALL LEVELS) (GALATIANS 5:13; HAND WEIGHTS & YOGA MAT)