"There's
actually a good deal of grass."
That was
one of the comments that my sweet friend made as she assessed my garden this
past Monday. She started giving me practical tips on how to get started. After
just a few minutes, I started to feel overwhelmed. Apparently my bare hands
would not cut it. And so, we hopped in her car and made our way down to
Home Depot, where I bought some basics including a shovel, potting soil, and a
watering can.
As I
worked in my garden this week, I realized that there were not as many weeds as
I had thought. Strangely enough, dealing with the weeds was the easy part. The
soil presented a greater challenge. According to my sweet friend, if I wanted
to plant directly into the ground, I would need to dig about six inches into
the soil and mix in the potting soil at some point and give it all "a good turn." But goodness, this soil
was tough as nails! Just what was it that made this soil so hard to deal with?
Frustrated and confused, I decided to sift the small pile I had made.
Rocks.
Clay. Trash. And glass.
In fact,
there was more glass than anything else. Again, I saw my own heart … so many
shattered dreams and heartbreaks. There were so many pieces, different in size
and from different objects. All were sharp and potentially dangerous. As I
worked, the little girl who lives next door came near a couple of times. The
second time, I gently warned her to be careful. I did not want her to get hurt.
Later on, I wondered if holding onto hurt from past experiences could be
causing pain to my loved ones in the present. And what if I had my own little
girl in the future? Could she be hurt if I do not deal with the shattered glass
in my heart’s garden?
After
being sifted, the soil was soft and moist, despite being hard and dry for who
knows how long. When the Lord Jesus saved me, my heart was hard, just like the
soil in my garden. I was living a sinful life, in rebellion against God and on
my way to destruction. Born again in Christ, I am a new creation, and I believe
He will take my old shattered dreams and make them into new ones.
And so,
I am throwing out the glass and the trash. I can't help but hold onto the rocks
and the clay for repurposing. They remind of my own character in a way. Strong
and stubborn! Let's see how God will cause all things to work together for good
for me, someone who loves Him and is called according to His purpose.
----
Therefore, if anyone [is] in Christ, [he is] a new
creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (2Co
5:17 NKJV)
And we know that God causes all things to work
together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to
[His] purpose. (Rom 8:28 NASB)
Written on 7/11/2018.
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