Depth of Earth

My Mother has always kept a beautiful garden.  I often thought it was strange that she referred to all of her plants as females.  "She is so happy here in this spot!"  "She needs a little more water."  "She needs to be fertilized this week."   Now that I am gardening, I completely understand.  These plants and flowers need so much tender loving care and maintenance.  They are living creatures who, in return, give you joy as they smile back at you with their blooms. 

I attended a free tomato class at Armstrong Garden Center.  Almost every Saturday morning they offer a class on growing tomatoes, container gardens and maintaining roses.  With gardening being new to me, I needed all the advice I could get about getting started and this was a great resource.  They taught on preparing the soil, the root system of the tomato plants, how to maintain the soil with nutrients and fertilizers, insect control and other topics pertaining to tomatoes. 

The parallel to maintaining a healthy, fruitful relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and maintaining a garden is so similar.  I am learning so much about both.  "Behold, a sower went out to sow.  And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them.  Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth.  But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.  But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty...Matthew 13:3-8. 

The phrase "depth of earth" touched me as I pondered this scripture.  My heart needs to have depth of earth so that the word of God could go down and take root in my heart.  I struggle so much with the preparation of my heart.  There are stony areas that need to be worked out and areas where bitterness chokes out God's love with thorns. 

Lord Jesus, please give me a depth of earth in my heart so that You word, Your love and Your understanding will penetrate deep and allow me to apply Your precepts to my daily life.  I need You so desperately so that there could be change and growth in my life.  Thank You. 



Here is what our garden looked like before.
Tomorrow I will show you what it looks like now.