For anything to grow and become a great harvesting, you must be willing to prepare the soil, plant the seeds, nourish them and love them..

As a  person that used to have beautiful flower beds before the art of bending my knees was a major task, I would always, prepare the soil-pulling weeds and rocks or any form of rubble and dig the holes or rows for the seeds to be planted, cover the seeds, keep them watered, fed and pruned as needed.

I am a child of God, so I understand the process. In order for us to grow and become like Christ Jesus, we needs seeds of kindness and love planted in our lives.  If the seeds are not nurtured, and cared for, we can become like weeds in the garden of life. We need to be nourished by the Word of God and pruned from time to time.

Anyone that is able to  read, can read the Bible. If you choose only to read it and use scripture taken out of context, you can end up hurting yourself or someone else in the process.  Jesus is the living water and He nourishes my soul. There are times though, that he needs to prune me because of my heart attitude~maybe it has become bitter about circumstances or the weeds (worries) of life take over and darkness or doubt creeps in and fear rises. Weeds can also be toxic people that are part of your life.

Have you ever had a friend, that you loved with all your heart? Someone you could never imagine cutting ties with, no matter what the circumstances were, but then something happened so out of the “norm” that you knew you had to make a choice. A loving choice.

That happened with me and one of my very best friends.  It was a hard decision to come to, I cried, I prayed. If it had not been for the Holy Spirit leading me to take the steps I did, I might have succumbed to the toxicity in her home. Her son had many problems with addictions and lived with her on and off.  She would never put him out, even if she knew that was the best for her, for her safety.  He was her only child. As a parent, I understood how hard it is to think of kicking your beloved to the curb and I  have only had to do it once for a few weeks, thank goodness. Tough love isn’t easy that’s why it’s called tough love. The toxicity in her abode hit you as soon as you entered through the door, the darkness loomed overhead and she was a light, the only light in that darkness, but it was unhealthy and would totally suck the life out of anyone for any length of time.  But, I loved her like a sister and it broke my heart to tell her I could no longer visit her in her home. We could meet somewhere for coffee or a meal, she was always welcome in our home, but I could no longer allow myself to be there.  I know this hurt her immensely. I would never ask her to choose her son or me, that’s not who I am, but I knew I couldn’t continue to be in that type of environment.

There were days I felt like I had failed her as a friend. She was alone much of the time and emotionally abused with guilt from her child. It wasn’t my place to judge. We would converse on the phone and share the Word with one another.  Her faith wavered and I stood strong. Sometimes, it takes being in a difficult situation and letting the Lord work through you and for you. She knew she was in a hard situation, but she also knew in her heart she couldn’t handle being separated from her son. I loved her and she loved me, but eventually the toxicity of her life was her demise.  I miss her. But I know she is happy because she is dancing in paradise with Jesus. She’s with her parents. I’ll see her again when it’s my time to go home.

My faith is strong. I choose to trust God in all circumstances. I am constantly be pruned and refined into the person God has chosen for me to be. He is the Potter. I am the clay. I make mistakes and sometimes my failures are overwhelming, but he always shows me grace. We must continue to not just read the Word, but apply it to our lives and be more like Christ. It has gotten a whole lot easier for me because I have friends that plant seeds of love and kindness into me daily. They see the world, in it’s fallen state and know without Jesus in our lives, it’s extremely difficult to grow.  It’s all about nurturing one another, rebuking when necessary and looking through the eyes of love.

May you have a bountiful harvest in your life. Jesus loves you!

Many blessings until next time,

Carlene