Let’s grow through what we go through.
This Mother’s Day, my mom and I planted flowers, in typical Mother’s Day fashion. First, I watched her dig the hole with full-force. Then she added Miracle Grow along with the lil baby flower. Lastly, she covered the flower with soil and sprinkled water on top.
So I asked my mom what would happen if you didn’t use Miracle Grow, and she responded with a pretty morbid thought. She said, “When a big rain comes, it might get overwatered and die.” This is a picture of how we grow.
GROWTH ISN’T A PRETTY PROCESS
I think as a society, we get excited about the “idea” of growth. Yet we don’t take into account how painful it is to actually go through the process of growth.
When we are growing, the master gardener (let’s say, in this case, God) looks at us and all the bad soil we leaned on our whole lives.
Before I found Jesus, I leaned on a multitude of things. People-pleasing, getting attention, obsessing over my appearance are a few off the top of my head (That kind of sounded like a long coffee order.)
But these things never gave me what I was looking for. They never really fulfilled me. And God looked at me, and he looked at the soil, and he goes, “Hm. We gotta do some work here.”
So just like my mama, the Master Gardener took a shovel and dug the bad soil out of my heart, and replaced it with soil that would give me life.
Shoveling is not a cute process. It’s painful, but it needs to be done. There is a reason why this hurts, because it is a physical uprooting taking place.
JESUS IS OUR MIRACLE GROW
To get rid of one thing, you have to replace it with something else. And that’s where our Miracle Grow comes in.
It’s hard to change your habits. It’s uncomfortable to live in a different way than we have our entire lives. Maybe we want to go back to what we leaned on for so long, what was comfortable, what was normal.
The Bible says: “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20)
All we need is a little seed. All we need is a little faith. And He can do a lot with our little.
WHAT’S YOUR SOIL?
If you aren’t planted in good soil, you won’t be able to handle the storms of life. Just like my mom said, you “might die.” (Lol, that’s pretty morbid).
This is when we look at what exactly we are leaning on for life. What are you looking to fill your cup? Is it affirmation from others, getting people to like you? Or is it chasing after success and gold stars and the higher paycheck? Is it a guy who you are chasing after? Is it the next dress size you can be, if you just were a little bit more disciplined?
We all have things we look to to fulfill us.
Here’s the thing that I’ve learned. Nothing of this world can satisfy your deepest needs and your deepest “thirsts”.
People stop liking you. The boy breaks up with you. You cave and mess up your diet goals, and then you feel like a failure. For many of us in this season, you lose your job. And we all get wrinkles.
You lose what you leaned on. We all eventually do.
But here’s what truth says: “Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:13-14
The one who knows your needs is the one who planted you. The Master Gardener knows what soil you need to live a life filled with joy and fulfillment.
WHAT IS YOUR SUNSHINE?
It’s time to look at the environment you are planted in.
I read a quote yesterday and it said “Surround yourself with people who feel like sunshine.” There’s a lot of impact that your surroundings can have on who you become.
If you surround yourself with people who gossip all the time, you probably will too. If you surround yourself with people who only care about the next party and how they look, you probably will become shallow, too. We are a product of our surroundings.
Look at the people in your life who feel like sunshine. Who brings out the best in you. Who makes you feel seen and heard, and that you are enough. Those who make you feel like you don’t have to “be” anything to be loved. People who after you spend time with them you feel so incredibly joyful and filled up.
These are the people you need to surround yourself with. These people are your sunshine.
GET THAT H2O
So far, we got our soil figured out, that’s our dude Jesus. We got our sunshine, our community and what and who is influencing us. Next is the water.
The Bible says: “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)” John 7:38-39
The Holy Spirit is what transforms us and makes us more like Christ. This means leaning into the Word and letting God transform us from the inside out. By knowing God more, we eventually will show the fruits of the Spirit, which are “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22).
IT’S A SEASON FOR GROWTH
Though it is painful to uproot all of the things in your life and replace it with Jesus, know that the uprooting isn’t where your story ends. Because “He who began a good work in you will carry it into completion.” (Philippians 1:6)
A seed grows in the dark. Right now you might be feeling that darkness, feeling like you have so much to work on, like the process is just too painful.
The Master Gardener has got you. He won’t leave you in the dirt. He will tend to you, He will grow you, and He will help you. All you have to do is walk with Him every day and trust Him to do the work.
And after a little while, you will rise through the darkness and the dirt, and you will face the sunshine with a smile. Maybe without even noticing, you will have bloomed.
