Clearing the Land

This Sunday is Mother's Day and where I live it is the day after which we can feel free to plant our flower and vegetable gardens without fear of a late Spring freeze. So next week, the annuals will be planted and my herb garden will be tended to once again.

When my husband and I first moved into your home, there were no flower beds to speak of, just some shrubbery planted by the builder. We had to cut through the sod, turn up the ground, break up the clay, and dig out the rocks. Then came the mixing in of the peat, good quality top soil and manure all in effort to enrich the beds so they would grow beautiful flowers.

Farmers have to endure the same hard work in clearing a new piece of land, they must first rid the field of trees, stumps, and weeds. They have to dig out any boulders that lay above and below the surface. Clearing land, even for a small flower garden is back-breaking work. We break into a sweat and end up with sore muscles, but unless this work is done, the soil is unfit to produce quality crops or flowers. Even after the flowers or seeds are planted, there is always the need to weed, fertilize and water the land in order for the gardens to grow beautiful flowers or quality produce.

The metaphor of our spiritual lives as gardens is not a new one. In the parable of the Sower, Jesus uses this metaphor to illustrate how the condition of our souls dictates how the seed of God's Word will take root.

When we first come to Christ, we come with souls that are overgrown with the weeds of bad decisions, stumbling blocks of boulders that sit beneath the surface of our lives, unhealthy trees and their root systems that spider out into our lives entangling us in a life of sin. Left untouched, the the soil of our soul will remain overgrown, leaving no room for quality seed to grow, bloom, and bear fruit. The Bible promises that those who are in Christ are new creations (2 Cor. 5:17), but it also tells us in Paul's letter to the Philippians, that we are to 'work out our salvation with fear and trembling'.

As a new Christian, I mistakenly believed that by accepting Christ all my struggles with sin would be gone - a thing of the past. The truth is, my soul was just as overgrown as ever. It took a while before I understood just what was necessary to live a life free from the roots of sin that were deeply embedded in my life. As someone who plays a role in discipling new believers, I know that I'm not the only one with inner obstacles stifling a thriving spiritual life. I've witnessed others struggle with sin that has its roots holding tight within in them; unaware of the unhealthy growth that crowds out what God wants to sow in our lives.

Like physically clearing land, digging out our root sins from our souls takes time and effort. Our spiritual bodies get sore from dealing with the issues that have been controlling our lives. But the effort and pain is well worth it. Once free from root sin, we can be free to live the life Christ created us to live; our souls fit to bear fruit for the kingdom.


To be continued....