Many years ago I had a moment as I was gardening. Gardening for me is a time and space to dialogue with Father, I do a lot of processing of my heart as I dig in dirt and take up weeds. So often there are whispers from Father in the narrative of tending to my garden as so it’s not unusual for a simple bit of gardening to become a place of divine exchange. Upon the aforementioned day, I decided to plant acorns in random places as I uprooted the weeds. Each acorn representing to me promises and words given, not yet fully formed, seeds; believing that in fact mighty oaks could and do grow from such a small and humble acorn, and so too could these words full of possibilities come forth. As I buried each one in the soil, in my heart were promises, little dreams and words given to me, seeds of what was hoped for, promises in faith received. I remember the day well, the autumn, and the weight my heart carried at that time. There was a groan within of the waiting, the longing, and even then, those years past, the weariness as I held little seeds believing in their gestation. To sow acorns was my act of faith in that which I carried within to become.
Last autumn I was once again weeding the land and my own heart and I caught sight of a little shoot. At the sight my heart remembered and I was thankful, I was stilled, honestly I’d pretty much forgotten the acorns planted, and even where i had done so, my attention long since left the expectation to see growth, certainly I was not waiting. And yet, after all these years the acorn had taken root and was pushing forward. Once again, this summer I stood, a tear falling, chocked in the emotion of a little oak tree now 6 inch plus thriving. It's not really a 'tree', yet it is, it's still small and growing but it's no less a tree. A mighty oak perhaps one day will be. But still now as I watch it move in the late afternoon breeze it is an oak tree, it's no longer a seed, it is becoming, growing, maturing but an oak tree it is. It rose by surprise, but it is a kingdom principle that seed planted in good soil with faith will in fact come forth and take form. (Luke 8) Those seeds of faith in dreams and promised, they too are gestating and taking form even when my eye can not see. There are infinite possibilities and there is boundless goodness contained in a word spoken by God, so often His word is like a seed to us, just as is the wonder of the mighty oak tree that springs forth from a humble acorn, so too are Gods words in and to us, His dreams, promises and truth are the seeds from which His greatness, wonder, power and love grow. As we abide, walk with Him, as we set our lives in obedience and trust of His heart, words, promises and ways what was faith, what was hope, sometimes for so long, in time becomes our experience. And so dear hearts we are in fact charged to be diligent, to guard, tend and watch over our hearts, as we would tend to a garden so too must we for our hearts. For we know out of the heart flows the issues of life. (Proverbs 4:23)
As I explore, I hear the Spirit searching my own heart, What do we want to grow? What do we want to weed? It's an unconscious question every time I spend time in my garden. I am constantly making this choice as i tend to the land. But i also am compelled to respond to that searching of my own heart, my own life. What am I growing and desiring to grow? and what must uproot to allow for it, what are the weeds that subdue that growth? What will I plant in faith to nurture growth. Knowing hope is an investment in what is not yet, but is possible.
Inviting Holy Spirit to pull up the bitter roots that can grow within, until our whole heart grows well, until we thrive in the full measures of life our hearts were made for, our life’s were fashioned to experience and express. May all the judgement, fear, pride, doubt, restlessness, anxiety be uprooted, May we allow the Holy Spirit to really search us and bring us into root renewal, revival of all our roots, as they return to truth, till they go down deep in Jesus and Fathers love, that our whole being is established in Him, in Love. (Ephesians 3:17) So we are fruit bearers of Love, of His likeness, of His intentions for us, of His heart. Then it will be, that ‘they’ will know us by our fruit, this precious fruit of Love, of you in me. May we grow in your likeness, and may we look like love, that in our lives, our words, thoughts, acts, our hope, our expectancy, our relationships, our homes, workplaces, churches, our communities, our systems, our whole beings would demonstrate, manifest, be an experience of love. That the seed of love from Jesus, from the Word of God would become our reality, be living, alive in us.
And too may we dare to dream, dare to chase after the infinite possibilities of His kingdom, His promises, May we search His heart to know it more completely and fully that we may be attuned to His word and promises, fully of faith, boldly believing in His yes and amen to each small seed and the wonder that can come forth as we say Yes to Him, to His word. May you dare to explore the glory of life abundant surrendered to His love, abiding in Him and feasting on His word as your daily bread. All things are possible, how truly wonder full the garden His word created and continually creates as we lay our lives down and pray have your way!
We, Norman and I, are standing in a place where we have a new opportunity to plant, to sow, to take a seed and believe in mighty things to come forth. In fact, I propose, we are all working that ground daily, with little acts, in small things and ways, decisions, motives and responses. It is, but not always the profound, bold, even risky things. We all have seed to sow. The words of God, His promises are plentiful, how and what we choose to do with them, each day, in different situations and circumstances is how we walk out and express our Faith, our devotion and trust. It is in many ways our moment by moment offering.
Gardening is quite simple really, when we plant, we plant with faith, we nurture the seed with hope and our expectancy of life doesn't waver if we tend well. Part of that is taking charge over the weeds that may seek to take the nourishment and potential from the seed. We are called to take that same care and intent over our hearts, over promises that so often come in seed form, over dreams we carry. The life and fruitfulness we want to bare. And it's in us to be fruitful, to be glorious, to be a display of the wonder, power, and love of our God. May we be ones who are vigilant, diligent over our hearts, intentional as we sow, as we weed, as we daily have our being in, and as His. For the world will know us by the fruit of our harvest.