Rain

My five year old reminded me of something just now. (She's nine now when I found this draft of an unpublished post.)

It's pouring rain outside.  Usually she is disappointed that she cannot go outside and play.  Not today.  She is jumping up and down excited, "Mom, Mom, it's raining.  That means our garden is gonna grow!"

Rain takes on a whole different meaning when you are growing something with the intent of harvesting fruits of your labor.  The goal of your days is no longer merely the enjoyment of a day in the sunshine.  Those are nice, but a week without rain doesn't have the same appeal that it used to.  It seems like drought in the making.

It hadn't rained since we put in our garden last week.  We've been watering it by hand, making sure each plant has just the right amount.  Now we are able to sit back and watch our plants grow.

Humans are a lot the same.  We admire those who are strong and courageous but often overlook the work that it takes to get there.  Some of that growth is caused by natural storms of life giving opportunity to mature.  Yet, if all we do in between storms is enjoy the sunshine we will never harvest a crop of fruitfulness in our lives. 

Our personal growth should never just be dependent to periods of storm and sunshine. Between storms we should take the effort to water our souls by hand.  Once a week on Sunday's isn't enough to have a fruitful harvest.  It takes watering every day.

By carefully tending the garden of our hearts on a daily basis we can reap the rewards of a strong, healthy inner man. With deep roots we will not be so easily blown about by every storm that rages.  Strong plants are able to be more productive.  We must pull the weeds that threaten to choke us and dig out the stones that have no place (Matt. 13). For a strong soul we need to tend our minds, our hearts, and our spirits.  

I'm much more thankful for the storms in my life now that I've been through a devastating drought.  Yet, I've also been through storms that threatened to take away everything.  I've seen the amazing growth both from the hard work of rebuilding and from toiling to keep things watered through months of sunshine.

We often think of the storms of life as moments sent to bring us to our knees.  But, the reality is we can grow both in good times and bad.  Growth in the good times takes concentration on the goal of harvesting in order to inspire us to toil instead of only play.  Growth in the bad times usually happens either by prepping for the storm to hit or after the storm in hind sight through repair and a lot of hard work. 

During the sunny times of life remember to tend your garden by spending time with God in His Word, and through prayer and fasting. These are like fertilizer, clean air, and water to our souls. Allow the Spirit of God to nourish our hearts, minds and spirits so that our soul can be strong rain or shine.