Growing Your Life Garden ~ Part 3 ~ Weeding Your Garden!

"Besides taking up valuable space in your garden, weeds compete with other plants for nutrients, water and light."

There are things in our life that are like weeds in our gardens.  Sin, whether it is present, a threat or if it has had an effect on your life, can have a growing affect on your spiritual garden of life.


If you have spent anytime reading the Bible you probably have come across the act of confession.  To confess is to acknowledge, admit or to profess.

We can read where we are to confess Christ to others (2 Cor. 9:13, I Tim. 6:12) and we are to confess our sins one to another (James 5:16).  

It is the later one that I have oftened wondered about. God tells us we are to acknowledge that we have sin and admit to others we have them.  What GOOD comes from telling others about our failures, weaknesses and sins?  Wouldn't it just breed more weeds and produce gossip, shame, pity and even make us as Christians look bad to the world? 

Bearing my soul, showing how weak I am in my walk with Christ and dwelling on all the negatives could not possibly bring about a positive but just like a garden you have weeds and they need to be dealt with before they creep in or take over...again.


What is God trying to teach by having us confess our sins one to another?


When I was 16 years old I was asked to confess my sins to a prayer partner.  I have to admit for years I thought it was the most ridiculous thing for this person to ask of me.  I thought they were just being nosey.  I even thought that if I confessed my deepest, darkest secret sins someone might use them against me somehow.  I thought that bringing these negatives to light would only bring about more darkness into their life and into mine. 


Years later I have learned differently.


In my previous blog posts, "What a Difference a Year Makes"and "The Pain of Childbirth", I have referred to events in my life where I felt I was in a very dark place because sin had invaded my life.  It had crept in and affected my life and now I have had to do some work to get it out.  It had created a darkness in me.  During the dark times in my life, I bore my soul to my sisters and brothers in Christ.  I knew it was risky.  I knew I was taking a chance in expressing this sin and allowing others to see into my dark world but I couldn't see the light and I was fumbling around in the darkness.  It wasn't easy and I was scared of what others may think of me, that they may tell the whole world, that they would use it to hurt me...you get the picture - it is a pride thing - but no matter, I had this weed in my life and it was taking up valuable space.   

You can't receive help if you don't acknowledge the challenges that are before you. You can't receive help if others don't know what your struggles are.   You can't receive forgiveness if you don't ask for it.

So to help your Life Garden grow you have to get down on your knees and do a little weeding and just like weeds, sin can't live in the light. So put it out there. Take a chance and see what comes up in its place.

1 John 1: 5-10
"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we
claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us." So why does God want us to confess our sins one to another? 
You tell me! 

Tell me about your struggle.  Let's weed through this together.

As your sister in Christ, I may not have had the same weeds as you but I promise that I will get down on my knees in prayer so that you, too, can harvest the fruit from your own garden.

  Do you want to know what I have growing in my garden?

Joy
Encouragement
Support
Unconditional Love
Strength

Inhale...exhale...Ahhhhh! My Gardenia Garden!

Growing your Life Garden ~ Part 2 - Planting Seeds

"What's in my spring garden? red potatoes, onions, broccoli, beets, radishes, romaine lettuce, butter crisp lettuce.

I just can't see them yet. :) I should have plenty to share!!!" 

Dena Kline Thomas wrote the words above on her Facebook page that placed this seed in my heart...

"She's planting seeds of faith!"  Love it!!

In Dena's statement she states what is in her garden,
that she can't see what she is going to harvest
AND that she WILL have plenty to share. 

She plants with the belief that God will provide.

"Faith is not believing God can, it is knowing He will!"

Life Gardens all start with the smallest seed.

Planting the seed of belief brings a love that will fill you with inexpressible and glorious love. You water and nuture that seed and then you see it grow and grow and bloom and bloom into an Inexpressible and Glorious Joy...WOW!

Planting the Seed With faith
believing that "with God all things are possible."

Inhale...Exhale...
"Thank you, God, for bringing about growth in my seed of faith. Help it to bloom and blossum so that I may share your inexpressible and glorious joy with others!" 

 

Growing your Life Garden ~ Part I

Have you always dreamed of having a beautiful garden full of beautiful flowers or yummy vegetables that would provide enough with offerings to share?  Or maybe you dreamed of a garden that would bring serenity and peace, a place where you could sit and meditate on the joy of all God's wonderful blessings? Or have you ever imagined a garden that would bring glory to God, one the He would want to spend time in? 

Have you ever dreamed of a life that blessed you with wonderful bouquets of blessings?  Gave you peace and joy?  One that could be shared with others and allowed you to offered a "Token of Love"?  A life that would bring glory to God and one where God dwelled?

Well, it is time to begin growing your own Life Garden!

How does one begin? 

First, you need a plan.  You begin by plotting out your garden.
Ask yourself:
What do I want from my garden?  Do I want to reap love, peace, joy, self-control, knowledge, kindness, faith...

Take inventory of the garden plot?  Look at the conditions of your current life garden ~ is there enough light, is your soil rich and good, does it lack nourishment, is it full of weeds?  

What kind of garden do you wish to have?
Spot plot:  Just a little space needed, low maintenance, doesn't require much water but only bears one maybe two crops.

Row Garden:  This type is well organized.  Not very flexible but produces a good harvest.  Does require a lot of time in weeding between the rows and watering may become more labor intensive.  One must stay rigid, making sure not to go outside of the boundaries, only allows narrow views but one is able to stay on the straight and narrow. 

Raised Bed Garden: With this type of plot design, all your plants are planted together without any lines or rows, utilizes the space very well; also, less weeding is required. The raised bed promotes healthy plants by minimizing soil compaction and improving drainage and aeration. It is very adaptable from season to season and you can increase or change your garden as you grow. The major disadvantage to having a raised bed garden plot is that it takes more time to set up.

Small Farm Garden:  This type of gardening may be for those who are more experienced.  First time gardeners may not wish to begin here but potential is great with much dedication, study and determination.  It does require a great commitment but the harvest is plentiful when done correctly.

So, you have made the commitment to a Life Garden.  You want to work hand in hand with God and be hands on with his creation.  You want to harvest great things and pray that they will be bountiful so that you may share the fruits of your harvest with others.

Let's get started:

Prepare Your Soil ~ 2 Timothy 2:15
Test your soil - determine your needs - do you lack something particular - is your soil hard as clay or acidic, if so you may need to amend the soil, add nutrients or change your planting choices so that you may reach your full harvest potential.  If you are set on a certain planting but your soil may not support that be patient.  You can amend the soil to provide those nutrients so that you can reap your desired harvest.  Get your hands dirty - participate in the process, get to know your garden and seek others who have the same passion.  The more you get involved in the preparation of the soil the more you will be surprised what will come from soil that is properly prepared.  Do your research - go to the source daily, seek and you shall find.

Till the ground - dig a little deeper.  Sometimes you may even have to look to other resources for a better understanding of what your garden truly needs.  Look to those who have been able to cultivate good gardens for more advice and information.  You may need to double dig or even rotary till.

Feed your soil ~ Deuteronomy 11:13-15
A soil that is rich with nutrients will be easier to garden.  Be careful not to over fertilize with chemicals! Stive to maintain a good rich natural balance in your soil.

Keep a Garden Journal ~ Deuteronomy 11:18-20
Writing down what you have learned and being able to go back and recall it is worthwhile.  Record what you have learned and when applied how it affected your garden.  You may learn that some things worked well to improve your Life Garden while others did more harm. 

Be open to change ~ Acts 3:19
You may have to change direction (repentance) when gardening.  Things outside of your immediate control can effect your growth and you may make some mistakes but be deligent and stay focused on your goal.  Look around, you may find rewards where you least expected them. 

Give credit where credit is due ~ Hebrews 13:15
As you work in your life garden look at all the little changes. Enjoy and celebrate the good that is forming.  Take pictures, journal and be aware of your ever changing garden. Most importantly ~ Give glory to your Great Creator! 

Inhale...exhale..."Thank you, my Heavenly Father, for bringing me to this place, for giving me the resources and knowledge and using me to make a wonderful Life Garden that it may be enjoyed by all but more importantly that it may be a place that finds favor in your sight." 

Tell others God has brought you to this place and He is the one who has given you the blessings that you are receiving ~ 2 Corinthians 9:13.

Gardenia Moments: Twenty-One!

Gardenia Moments: Twenty-One!

Twenty-One!

Twenty-one years ago my husband and I found out that we were going to be blessed with another baby.  At first it wasn't such a joyous occassion because we hadn't planned on having another baby.  We had two lovely daughters and the youngest one was only 12 months old, so the thought of another baby coming while we still had one in diapers was not what we had planned on.  My husband was a little anxious, to say the least.  We both came from a family full of boys and the thought of having three daughters was playing with his mind - no PMS free week in his future! 

Gardenia Moments: They call me Mama

Gardenia Moments: They call me Mama

They call me Mama

Mother

mother moth·er (mŭ&phonth;'ər)
n. A woman who conceives, gives birth to, or raises and nurtures a child.


They call me "Mama".
I have been called "Mama" now for over 25 years.  I am Courtney's mama, Megan's mama, Hunter's mama and have even been referred to as "Mama" by a number of my children's friends.  It is a name that has been bestowed on me with lots and lots of love.


As each of my grandchildren began to talk they called me "Mama".  So the list grows, I am Jayden's mama and Kaydence's mama.    "Mommie" is what they call their mothers but when they come a running, they call me "Mama".  When I see those little ones running toward me with arms wide open, all smiles and yelling, MAMA! - my heart just melts and I go to my knees and grab them up in my arms.


One day while doing some research at work, I came across the definition of Grandmother:

Grandmother

1. the mother of one's father or mother.

2. a female ancestor.

"A female ancestor"?  That sounds so...so dead, cold and OLD!  Who describes their grandmother as a female ancestor?  Who WANTS to be referred to as a female ancestor?  There is no loving endearment or sentiment in that description. So, I looked up the word, "Mama".

Mama

a. a sexually attractive, usually mature woman.

Now, that's the description I prefer!


even Harley Mama!

"A mother becomes a true grandmother the day she stops noticing the terrible things her children do because she is so enchanted with the wonderful things her grandchildren do."   ~Lois Wyse

Take Heart!

“I have told you these things,

so that in me you may have peace.

In this world

you will have trouble.

But take heart!

I have overcome the world.”

~ John 16:33

Ladies Retreats with my sisters in Christ have become my personal healing moments. My escape in the garden of life where I spend time with God - walking with Him along the shore, talking with Him and listening for His whispered answers, breathing in the fresh air as I breath in His spirit into my body.

SAVE THE WORM!

Have you ever noticed that after a good hard rain or storm worms appear? It is kind of gross, really!

This morning in the parking lot, I saw a couple with their child looking at the ground. The curious part of me went to see what was capturing their attention when I saw the little girl lean down and gently pick up a worm then carefully and tenderly placed it in the grass.

"I saved a worm!", she exclaimed.

How sweet...but it was a worm! Who cares about worms? They live in the dirt, are squirmy and aren't exactly cute or pretty. How could such a cute little girl care about a lowly little worm?

Why would God want to save a worm like Me?

Job 25: 2-6

2 “Dominion and awe belong to God; he establishes order in the heights of heaven. 3 Can his forces be numbered? On whom does his light not rise? 4 How then can a mortal be righteous before God? How can one born of woman be pure? 5 If even the moon is not bright and the stars are not pure in his eyes, 6 how much less a mortal, who is but a maggot— a human being, who is only a worm!”

What a Difference A Year Makes

As my children grew into teenagers it became very evident to me that the choices that they now would make were life-changing decisions that could affect the rest of their lives. These decisions could be positive ones but it was the decisions that could effect them negatively that I greatly feared. As new drivers they could drive to fast and have a wreck, they could be influenced by the wrong people, be in the wrong places at the wrong time or choose to do something in which they just thought they were too invincible to be affected. As a parent, we all know what can go wrong if you are not careful.


I would hold my breath every time they came to me and said, "Mom, I need to talk to you." I always dreaded this statement, fearing what made them NEED to talk with me. Teenagers don't NEED to talk to you unless they have a problem with a friend or a homework assignment or they just need money. But for that split second I always feared something worse until...

The Pain of Childbirth

You may think that the pain of childbirth is in the actual birth itself. I beg to differ. I believe the pain of childbirth comes much later.

I will admit that when my children were much younger there were times when I couldn't wait until they turned 18 and my job as parent would be over. There would be no more lunches to make, no more battles to fight, no more laundry to fold, no more worrying and...no more "Calgon, Take Me Away" moments! Peace and Quiet would reign once more!

And then, around their senior year of high school, this attitude appears.

You thought middle school drama was bad? Dealing with sagging jeans, short skirts, bare bellies, underwear hanging out and what type of bathing suit they were going to wear that summer, was bad? How about dealing with the negotiations over curfews, driving and dating? Oh yeah, even the "Why do I have to go to church? No one in the youth group likes me anyway!" attitude.

No, the attitude I am speaking of is the one that starts with "I can't wait until I turn 18" and ends with "I AM 18 years old AND I can do whatever I WANT because I AM AN ADULT!!!!"

This is the beginning of true labor pains!

Token of Love

Gardenias were my mother's favorite flower. I am not sure how or why they were planted in our yard but our house was surrounded by 6ft high gardenia bushes. In the summers, our home smelled of gardenias and were always displayed on an end table, nightstand, or countertop.

I never really appreciated the flower until many years later. I believe my mother's love for the flower grew from the love she and my father shared.

My father would always pick the first gardenia bloom and place them in a small vase besider her bed. Imagine waking with the morning light to the sweet aroma of gardenia and opening your eyes to see such a simple but perfect gift sitting on the table beside your bed, looking as though the blossom were saying, "Good morning, Love!" My father would also pick the last gardenia bloom and give it sweetly to my mother. He would come in while she was cooking dinner and wrap his arms around her offering the beautiful ivory jewel to her. I believe my mother gave a little more of her heart to him with each bloom and so their love grew and grew. This sweet token of love is one of my fondest childhood memories.

The aroma that would fill our home and the love that bloomed there reminds me of the expression of love and respect that Mary showed to Jesus when she annointed his feet with perfume and dryed them with her hair (Jn. 12:1-3). What a beautiful sight it must of been to see her express her love for our Savior, her kneeling before him, gently touching the oil to his skin. Then looking upon the face of Jesus...seeing the hint of a smile and the look of admiration reflected in his eyes. The perfume would have filled the room bringing everyone in unison in the event as it unfolded.

Whether you were a participant or just an observer, your every sense of sight and smell would join you with Christ in this ceremonial annointing so deeply that you would feel the warmth move through your heart and soul as the oil flowed over his body. And for this short, brief moment you were so full and so thankful for being a part of this special token of love.