Chapel Blog
Plow
I have a friend who has thousands of cactuses! No, seriously, thousands! You might have an aloe vera plant mixed in among your landscaping, or a prickly pear you have to prune back twice a year, he has thousands of different varieties of cactuses and succulents. When I went to his house, I was blown away by the whole operation.
While he was giving me the tour, he said, “cactuses don’t do well with too much water so they really need soil that drains well.” My friend’s connection between the health of the plant and that of the soil is an excellent analogy for what it looks like to prepare the soil of our hearts.
While he was giving me the tour, he said, “cactuses don’t do well with too much water so they really need soil that drains well.” My friend’s connection between the health of the plant and that of the soil is an excellent analogy for what it looks like to prepare the soil of our hearts.
As we’re approaching the end of this school year, it’s time to ask yourself the question, “Where do I go from here?” Don’t just drift aimlessly into the next season. Take ownership of where you are and how you got there, then evaluate what changes are necessary to progress.
To plant seeds and become a tree planted by streams of water... you’ll need to start by plowing. Hosea 10:12 admonishes you to, “Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you.”
All of us have fields of hard ground in our hearts. They’re the places we don’t want people to ask us about, places where we feel guilt and shame, disappointment, anger, or where we’ve just given up hope of ever changing. The places in our hearts that we hide from God and others, are hard ground and need to be plowed up and prepared.
What are these places for you? Mabe they’re unproductive relationships, or undisciplined areas overrun with weeds? Pull out a notebook and write them down. Here’s some examles: “I didn’t study enough.” “I invested a lot of my time with the wrong friends.” “I was mean to people.” “I am addicted.” “I wasted too much time on my phone.” “I gave in to pressure and compromised my boundaries.”
Regardless of what you might have written, take my friends’ advice and get your soil right. It’s seedtime, and God desires to plant righteousness, goodness, and love in your heart, that you might bear fruit and prosper. Take the things you’ve written down to a trusted friend or mentor and confess them and ask for accountability. Commit to praying and asking God to guide you to different results. Delete some apps, or put down your phone during meals, whatever. Don’t just keep planting yourself in the same soil day after day and be back in the same position next year wondering how you got there.
Fruit in the next season of your life will be produced based on how well you plow the soil of your heart today. God is with you, and His forgiveness and grace are available to all who turn to Him. Turn therefore into the gracious arms of Jesus and start plowing!
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To plant seeds and become a tree planted by streams of water... you’ll need to start by plowing. Hosea 10:12 admonishes you to, “Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you.”
All of us have fields of hard ground in our hearts. They’re the places we don’t want people to ask us about, places where we feel guilt and shame, disappointment, anger, or where we’ve just given up hope of ever changing. The places in our hearts that we hide from God and others, are hard ground and need to be plowed up and prepared.
What are these places for you? Mabe they’re unproductive relationships, or undisciplined areas overrun with weeds? Pull out a notebook and write them down. Here’s some examles: “I didn’t study enough.” “I invested a lot of my time with the wrong friends.” “I was mean to people.” “I am addicted.” “I wasted too much time on my phone.” “I gave in to pressure and compromised my boundaries.”
Regardless of what you might have written, take my friends’ advice and get your soil right. It’s seedtime, and God desires to plant righteousness, goodness, and love in your heart, that you might bear fruit and prosper. Take the things you’ve written down to a trusted friend or mentor and confess them and ask for accountability. Commit to praying and asking God to guide you to different results. Delete some apps, or put down your phone during meals, whatever. Don’t just keep planting yourself in the same soil day after day and be back in the same position next year wondering how you got there.
Fruit in the next season of your life will be produced based on how well you plow the soil of your heart today. God is with you, and His forgiveness and grace are available to all who turn to Him. Turn therefore into the gracious arms of Jesus and start plowing!
Westminster Christian School, located in Palmetto Bay, Florida, is a private, college-preparatory school for children from preschool through twelfth grade.