This time of year is my favorite for many reasons. One of them being the harvest. We spend the vast majority of the year plotting, planting, weeding, and caring for a garden. This time of the year is when we finally get to reap what we have sown.
We go out and gather all of the fresh produce and wash off all the dirt and grime. And then we begin the processing. Some choose to freeze their harvest but we love to can ours. We make all sorts of yummy things. Tomato juice, salsa, canned peaches, pie filling, apple sauce and pear sauce among others.
Thinking about our past years of gardening I was reminded of a Spiritual Garden that we need to be cultivating and harvesting as well.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”
~Galatians 5:22-23a
When God enters into our lives He begins to change us to be more like Him. He takes the time to prepare the soil of our hearts to receive His Word. He plants the seed in our lives and works diligently to pull all of the weeds out. Those things in our lives that sneak up on us and wreak havoc if they go unchecked.
He then prunes us making us more fruitful. Challenging us to rely on Him more than we do others or even ourselves. Continually showing us that He is enough and that He is all that we really need in this life.
If we continually allow God to work and prune our Spiritual Garden we will have a bountiful harvest. Are we letting Him complete His work in us and receiving the nourishment that He offers through reading the Bible, praying, and fellowshipping with other Christians; and then sharing our harvest with others in need? Or are we just content to sit back and let our garden wilt away and die benefiting no one?
I encourage you to let God have His way with you. Let Him work in your garden.
Until next time,
Bailey Sue
