Spiritual Gardening

We’ve all felt “stuck” in our faith and life at some time or another. Unanswered questions or challenges that catch us off guard can make us take a step back and rethink what Jesus really means to us.

Sometimes, though, we feel really stuck. There are habits and patterns in our lives that we know just aren’t right, but we can’t seem to shake them. We feel a lack of purpose and wonder what we’re doing all this for. We think we should be growing more as a Christian, but it just doesn’t seem to be happening.

You might need to do some weeding. 

I grew up in a fairly dysfunctional home. When I left home for college, I went half way across the country. After college, I traveled overseas for a year - half way around the world. My husband looks at those decisions and thinks that I was trying to get as far away from my family as possible. I’m not sure that I was consciously thinking that, but it’s certainly what happened! 

I made decisive efforts to separate myself and establish my life as different from how I grew up. In many ways, I did. But I still found things that were ingrained in me that needed to be relearned. I’m still pulling the weeds. 

Hoping for Fewer Weeds

I wouldn’t call myself an avid gardener, but I have a small plot in our backyard where I grow some herbs and vegetables each year. There are so many spiritual analogies from gardening…  Last year, I tried “no till” gardening. The idea is that when we turn over the ground before planting, we’re actually stirring up the weed seeds. If we leave well enough alone, those seeds stay buried and don’t germinate. 

I heard “less work up front” (no tilling the ground) and “less work during the summer” (fewer weeds) and was sold on giving it a try. I just planted seeds and young plants into the packed soil without turning it over first. (I’m not sure that’s quite what “no till gardening” entails, but that’s what I did.)

I did have far fewer weeds. My tomatoes, which I buy as young plants, did wonderfully. The beans, which I plant as seeds directly into my garden, didn’t grow. The first round never germinated, so I loosened the soil a bit and planted a second round. Those grew, but not very well. I’m guessing they needed looser, more aerated soil.

Our Lives Need Tilling

Our lives are like that. We don’t like to deal with the “weeds” in our lives, so we keep them buried, hoping they will go away. Sometimes we can function well enough that way, but other times the compacted soil doesn’t allow us to grow. Then God, with His plow of hardship, trial and difficulties, turns over the ground for us. He stirs up weeds that need to be pulled out. In the process, He also creates soil that’s better for growing. 

I tried to bury the dysfunction of my family of origin and just move on, living life differently. I did pretty well at it. I was the “good kid”, got good grades, went on to college, worked as a missionary overseas for a year and then met a great guy and got married. We established our lives as distinct from how my family had lived.

However, marriage, kids and life in general has a way of plowing the soil. Weeds began to emerge. I had beliefs about myself and God that weren’t true and affected the way I reacted to situations. I discovered “default” responses to situations that weren’t in line with how God would have me respond. 

Working through these issues has been a freeing and life changing journey. I still catch myself slipping back to old habits, but I find that there are triggers. I know when I am under more stress and haven’t been checking in regularly enough with God to lay my burdens on Him, I’m more likely to struggle with old habits.

How about you? Are you frustrated with life? Do you feel stuck in your relationship with God? In your relationships with others? Do you find yourself tripping over the same issues in your life, making the mistakes over and over? I would love to take you on the journey of looking at your life - the weeds from your past that are keeping you from living the abundant life that Jesus promised. 

Tools

The most effective tools for the “spiritual gardener” are of course the Bible and prayer. Ask God to show you where you have weeds from your past that need to be pulled. His Word will infuse you with the truth that needs to be planted instead.

Other tools I’ve found extremely helpful are a simple pen and paper. Journaling helps me to get outside of my head, analyze what I’m thinking and feeling and to take a deeper look at why I respond the way I do in certain situations. It’s a way to look at the past and see what beliefs were learned and habits were picked up along the way. I have conversations with myself to determine why I react or feel a certain way. 

If you would like to use journaling to go deeper to understanding yourself and finding your “weeds”, I suggest taking a look at my “Spiritual Growth Journaling” guide. It’s free and will guide you through different questions to ask yourself and write about. It’s just between you and God - no one else needs to read it. You can download it here.  

Happy gardening!