Soil Seasons

Planting is a process... but it's part of His plan & serves a purpose

I do not know where you are tuning in from, but here in East Tennessee, spring has sprung! We have officially entered into the season where the handiwork of God is on full display. The cold, dark, lifeless signs of winter are giving way to a season now budding with warmth, sunshine, and new life.

I love spring. I love the visible evidence of God slowly breathing life back into the world around us. We can feel the temperatures begin to warm up and our heavy jackets are replaced with t-shirts. I love how the gentle breeze will now shake the tree branches that are full again of rustling green leaves. 🍃 I smile as I see the tulips blooming and giving that pop of color to a landscape that was previously brown and bare. 🌷There are butterflies floating about 🦋and the bees are buzzing with excitement and busy with all the work to be done. 🐝

Speaking of work to be done, spring is also the time of year that I plant a vegetable garden. And boy do I have some work to do! My cute little (okay it is actually kind of big) raised garden, right now, is already completely full. I mean literally spilling over the sides… with weeds. 🥴UGH!!

This picture is definitely from last year! Oh, how I wish my garden looked that nice right now… I mean, you can actually see the dirt right here!! Ha!

So, I thought that I would spend some time today, instead of being a responsible adult and tending to my garden, to just talk about it instead. 🤭 Ha! Also, important side note, I don’t have the greenest of thumbs and I am not a botanist. Therefore, please don’t get the mistaken impression that I am super knowledgeable about the science behind all of this “planting-and-growing” stuff.

And that is okay… you know why? Well… just wait, I’ll show you in a minute.

However, one thing that I do know is that in order for any seed to grow it needs soil. Seeds that are not inserted into the soil will never even have the opportunity to fully become fruitful. They are just little nuggets of untapped potential. That means, that in order for any tiny seed to have the opportunity to later spring to life and bear fruit, it must first take the plunge deep down into the dirt.

That seed has to be completely covered with soil, left in total darkness, and become basically invisible to one that planted it. Now, what happens to that seed while it is in that soil, is a bit of a mystery to me. I know that it is being nourished… somehow. I know that at some point… not sure when… the shell must break open and little roots begin to stretch out and grow deeper into the soil that surrounds it. I assume that those roots are gathering nutrients that are necessary for the seed to continue to grow into its intended form, reach its potential, and eventually thrive.

However, because this all takes place somewhere under the dirt, I am not entirely sure what happens. But I do know that with the right temperatures, fertile soil, sunlight, and adequate water that the seed will eventually grow big and strong enough to push its way through the darkness of the soil and sprout up and into the light! 🌱

I think this is a good place to press pause and share the scripture for today before you start judging me for talking about seeds and not really understanding how they work. So, travel with me to Mark 4: 26-29, where Jesus taught the Parable of the Growing Seed.

“Jesus also said, “The Kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, while he is asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows, but he does not know how it happens. The earth produces the crop on its own. First a leaf blade pushes through, then the heads of wheat are formed, and finally the grains ripen. And as soon as the grain is ready, the farmer comes and harvests it with a sickle, for the harvest time has come.””

Mark 4:26-29 NLT (emphasis mine)

See!!! It is okay that I don’t know how it actually happens! How nice is it to see that it is okay not to always know the answer??

How many times in your life have you been left in the dark? Buried under the weight of dirty soil… unsure of how to continue or what to even do… trying to figure out how in the world you going to survive another day/make another payment/stay in the marriage/raise the child/heal from the trauma/ever trust again/find another job/endure another treatment?

We all have dark, dirty, buried places we find ourselves in from time to time, and in those situations, we must sit back and allow the dirt to do the work. We don’t have to understand how the growth/maturity/outcome/fruit will happen, but instead we can focus on Who will make it happen. Verse 28 says, "The earth produces the crop on its own.” and I know that has been the case for a very long time!

Matter of fact, the earth has been doing this whole “growing-seeds-and-producing-fruit-on-its-own” thing since it was exactly three days old. Genesis 1:11 says.

“Then (Day 3) God said, “Let the land sprout with vegetation-every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.” And that is what happened.” Gen. 1:11 NLT

So, the good news is… We are not in charge of the growing process. We are just in charge of the sowing process. But where, when, and how we sow is crucial. What kind of soil are we placing our seeds into? The weed infested soil of the world? Or the Word infused fertile soil of our Father?

But since we are the ones that have to sow the seeds, that means we don’t get to just sit idly by. We have work to do. Even when things are uncertain. Even when we are feeling insignificant or even invisible. Even when we don’t know how things will turn out or how we even got here in the first place. Even when we cannot see or understand what is happening. We must keep sowing the seeds and plowing the fields.

Look at my precious, little, seed planter! I am about to find out if this year she is as good at pulling weeds as she is planting seeds. Ha!

We don’t usually get to see the work that God is doing in our lives, just like we can’t see the growth that is taking place in the seeds after they have been buried. It is through the burial process, the dark/hard/messy parts of our lives, that God is preparing us to produce fruit for His Kingdom. We have to go through soil seasons in order have fruitful ones.

Just because we feel as though we are being forced down into the darkness of the dirt, does not mean that God is not right there with us. He is in the soil, holding us in His hands, providing the nutrients we need to survive and ultimately thrive. It is in the soil that God braids strength, wisdom, and resilience into our root systems. The dirt is necessary if we ever want to bear fruit and positively impact the world around us.

But the bad news is… weeds like fertile soil too, just take a peek at the current state of my garden. And if we are not careful the weeds will set up shop in our minds and try to choke out the potential growth of our seeds. The enemy will be sure to pour the water and fertilizer to the wicked weeds of doubt, insecurity, fear, anxiety, comparison, etc. The enemy knows how important the soil of our hearts and minds are to reaching our full potential. Therefore, that lying loser lizard will do everything in his power to contaminate it with shame filled soil.

So, we must cling to our Savior when we find ourselves in the soil seasons. We must make sure we attach ourselves to Him and grow our roots down deep into His Word. We must allow God, our Gardener, to water us. That means mixing dirt and water, so it will get muddy and messy. Soil seasons are not easy seasons. They are hard, but they are necessary. Because it is in the dirt that God does His most important work! So, while we are feeling really small, insignificant, and maybe even invisible, just like a little seed, we must trust that God is in the soil with us.

I know that when we are feeling buried, those seasons seem like they are going to last forever. We don’t ever know how long we will have to endure the muddy darkness. However, we can trust His timing. Because our Savior knows when our roots are strong enough to sustain us. Our Gardener knows when it is time for our growth to be visible to the world. And our Father knows when it is time for us to bear fruit.

So, I guess what I am trying to say is this…

On this Palm Sunday, as we take time to remember and reflect on all of the emotions of the Easter season and the experiences of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ… that we are reminded that He understands the darkness better than anyone. Jesus, Himself, was buried, covered in dirt, became invisible to those around Him, rested in the tomb for 3 days, while God, the Gardner, prepared for Him to rise again!

Although, the fact that Jesus Christ has risen is the most incredible, literal life-changing, chain-breaking, soul-saving event in the history of the earth, I hope we will take a moment to remember that it was all a process. His death and burial were necessary in order for His ultimate purpose to be fulfilled. It is because of His burial that we can truly celebrate the significance of His resurrection! 🤍

So, regardless of how long your soil season may last… 3 days, 3 months, 3 years… please trust that God is at work in the dirt with you. He is holding you close. Gently breaking your shell open so that He can provide the appropriate nutrients needed for your growth. He will supply the correct temperature, appropriate amount of water, and enough sunlight to strengthen you as you work to grow your roots down deeper into Him and stretch yourself into your full fruit-bearing potential and bust through that soil season and into the light! 🌱

Before we go, I want to share one more scripture with you. This verse was spoken through the prophet Zechariah, as he was trying to encourage, comfort, and instill hope to the people of Israel as they returned to Jerusalem from exile, and I hope it will do the same for you. He penned the following words in his book, Zechariah 8:12.

“This is what the Lord of Heavens Armies says: For I am planting seeds of peace and prosperity among you. The grapevines will be heavy with fruit. The earth will produce its crops, and the heavens will release the dew. Once more I will cause the remnant in Judah and Israel to inherit these blessings.” Zechariah 8:12

Friends, we are all going to have soil seasons in our lives. Ones that we don’t even know how we will survive, much less thrive. But God will not leave us there! And the enemy does not get to turn our soil seasons into shameful seasons. There is nobody that wants to see us flourish more than our Father. He right there in the dirt with us.

Spring is a wonderful reminder of how God will bring beauty out of barren places. Just because we may not fully understand the growing process does not mean that our Gardener doesn’t. Trust Him to prepare you in your planted season. Trust Him to guide you as you navigate through the darkness of the soil. Work hard to sow your seeds into the Word of God and trust that He will make you fruitful! 🌿

Thank you for being here and spending time with me in this space. Praying you all have a wonderful Holy Week. 🌸 Happy Easter, sweet friends! 🩷 Xoxo Megan

Prayer:

Dear God, our Gardner. Thank you for your patience with us as we try to sow our seeds into Your soil. Please provide the right recipe of nutrients, sunlight, and water that only You know we need to thrive in this barren world. Lord, we trust you in the unknowns. We cling to You in the dirt. We seek Your strength, wisdom, and love. We trust Your timing. Lord, make us fruitful for You and Your Kingdom. Thank you, God, for sending Your Son to this earth. Thank you, Jesus, for being willing to sacrifice Yourself, be buried in that tomb, and for rising again! Lord, You are the light of our lives, the hope for our future, the breath in our lungs, and we love you. In Jesus, precious and holy name. Amen.

Reflection Question:  Can you identify a soil season in your life? A season where you currently feel buried and may not know how you are going to make it back up to the surface? If so, can you try to trust God is in the dirt with you? I believe that He is using this planted season to prepare you for His purpose.