Devotionals for the Heart: Gardening can teach us about our heart's health

What’s the Condition of Your Heart?
A devotional by Peg Arnold

“A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.” When He had said these things He cried, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”—Luke 8:5-8 (NKJV)

As the Autumn season arrives, I begin to prepare my gardens for winter. While doing this, I find the soil dry and hard in some places, and thorny weeds and rocks in other areas, reminding me of the above parable (Luke 8:5-8).

When I read this story in the past, I knew Jesus Christ was describing the conditions of the hearts of those who had never heard the gospel message. But recently, I have become more aware that if I am not careful, I can be guilty of each of these heart conditions Jesus describes. I wonder if you have struggled with some of these challenges as well.

Let’s examine this further …

First, there is the Hard Path (Hardened Heart) we read about in Luke 8:5.

We don’t want to admit to being susceptible to a hardened heart like the seed sown along the beaten path and then eaten by the birds. These hearts can become cynical by challenging situations with no end or solution. Do we fall into the trap of praying for wisdom and discernment in words yet allow those scavengers of discouragement and insecurity to consume any seeds of hope? Romans 5:3-5 reminds us that times of suffering have a purpose in our lives.

Romans 5:3-5 (NIV) says, “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

Next, there is the Rocky Soil (Shallow Heart) that we read about in Luke 8:6.

Are we guilty of the shallow heart where the seed falls on the rocky ground, and sprouts immediately but quickly blow away with storms? The rocks of worry, doubt, and fear can cause us to stumble and even attack fragile faith. They crowd out Christ's still, small voice, allowing stress and anxiety to take over our souls. Paul reminds us to turn our concerns to Him in prayer and thanksgiving and receive His peace.

Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV) says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Then, there is Thorny Soil (Distracted Heart), which we read about in Luke 8:7.

Do thorns distract you? Do you begin the morning with your devotions and feel a sense of renewal and refreshment, but instead of taking the Lord with you through the day, you check it off your list as a completed task? When we do this, we are vulnerable to jumping into the demands of our day, completely choking out the growth and assurance that inspired us earlier. Instead, keep the promises of the Lord in your heart so earthly temptations do not crowd them out. Philippians 4:8 is one of my favorites.

Philippians 4:8 (NKJV) says, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”

Finally, we read about the Fertile Soil (Receiving Heart) in Luke 8:8.

A fertile heart allows us to grow and flourish in our faith. Preparing the soil of our hearts so that the roots of faith grow deep helps us to withstand life's storms and find joy in the moments. It requires intentionality, prayer, and the fertilization of God’s word. Committing this time harvests His strength and peace necessary to survive the worries, distractions, and challenges. Paul expresses this process in his letter to the Hebrews.

Hebrews 12:11 (NIV) says, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

The same commitment is required of my garden. To produce an abundant harvest, I must invest time and energy in seeding, weeding, fertilizing, watering, and monitoring pests throughout the season, including preparing it for the winter.

I continue to work in my garden, tossing out the rocks and digging deep to pull the thorny weeds and their destructive root systems. As I do this, I pray that I will take the time to do this in my heart. How about you?

In closing, I’d like for you to ponder this question: What is the condition of your heart?

Let’s Pray:

Dear Lord,

We ask for your guidance to help us identify the areas of our hearts and spirits that we have ignored. Grant us the discernment and wisdom to help determine if there are rocks to remove, thorns to dig out, or places that need watering with Your word. We desire to cultivate a nurturing and receiving heart that will flourish and produce the Fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives. In Jesus’s Name, I pray.

Amen.

Song of Reflection: “The Garden” by Kari Jobe. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Peg Arnold, Speaker/Author/Teacher is a Drama Queen for Jesus. 

Her vibrant, interactive, and soul-stirring messages encourage all to embrace their God-given value. As a mom, wife, nana, mentor, with a master’s in counseling, she connects on a personal basis by sharing her joys and challenges of many life experiences through her dramas, messages, and witness. Whether talking with a friend over coffee or addressing hundreds of people at a conference, her passion for equipping women is contagious.

She has published devotions on YouVersion and in the Upper Room. In addition, she has contributed to two Chicken Soup for the Soul books, three anthologies, numerous articles, and blogs. Her devotional, Devotions for the Distracted Heart, received a 2022 OASIS award.

Peg desires everyone to know that their story is important and has a purpose. She grew up in Michigan and raised her family in Maryland. Later in life, Peg and her husband relocated close to their family in Colorado.

~*~
Connect with Peg:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arnoldpeg/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pegarnoldwow
Website: https://pegarnold.org/ Get some freebies when you visit!
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC51V_iWr0RfGAQvQnWVXEoA
Devotions for the Distracted Heart blog: https://pegarnold.wordpress.com/
YouVersion: https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/22261-devotions-for-the-distracted-heart
Holiday YouVersion: https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/28680-holiday-devotions-for-the-distracted-heart
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/wonderofwomen/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/peg-arnold-wow

Devotionals for the Heart: God's Plan

His Plan, Not Mine
A devotional by Casey Wayne

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” –Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

A few years ago I decided to start gardening as a new hobby.

It was meant to be something to bring me peace and a sense of accomplishment. I was excited to have something new to try and I was determined to do the research to make it a successful endeavor. To my surprise, it became a more frustrating learning experience than I expected. It quickly started to feel like every time I resolved one potential issue then something else arose. Pests, water management, pruning, etc. It started to leave my head spinning as I tried to control every detail.

By season two and three I started to realize the best thing I could do was create the best conditions I could but let go of the ultimate outcome. I couldn’t control every factor and would exhaust myself trying. To top it off, in the midst of trying to control it all I certainly wasn’t able to enjoy the parts of the garden that was successfully growing.

Even this year, I had a vision and plan for how it would go. Vegetables and wildflowers alongside fruiting bushes was my goal. My hope. My plan. In the end, it turned out different. Pests, little rain, and distractions of life changed the plan. Pivots were made and I began focusing more on the butterfly garden with its beautiful daily visitors. I had a plan, but have learned to not hold so tightly to it that I miss the beauty when plans change.

Are you like me and sometimes hold too tightly to your plans in life?

I have a tendency to be so focused on my vision and plan for my life that I become oblivious to what God has for me. Over the years, the Holy Spirit has taught me to hold my plans loosely. To prioritize giving God the space to pivot my steps, to guide my heart, and provide wisdom for my life. James 3:17 (ESV) tells us, “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.”

There is peace and hope for the future, but we have to be willing to release our control over it and intentionally place it in the hands of our Lord and Savior.

I've learned how important it is to trust God’s faithfulness and guidance. Each day there is a choice to live in faith, trusting God’s wisdom for our lives, or to live based on the world’s wisdom. Scripture reminds us to seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit and not to rely on our own thoughts or feelings (Proverbs 3:5). Our sinful nature draws us into Satan’s lie that having more control will bring us more peace in our life. This is your reminder of God’s truth that a life surrendered to Father’s will brings life and an indescribable peace even in the middle of life’s storms (Philippians 4:7).

Let’s Pray:

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for your faithfulness yesterday, today, and all of my tomorrows. As I release my plans and my future to You, give me peace, wisdom and discernment to guide my daily steps. I pray for the strength to wake up each morning and choose to place my hope and trust in my Lord and Savior (Jesus Christ).

In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “Your Way Yahweh” Jeremy and Adrienne Camp. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Casey Wayne is a wife and mother of two children. 

She enjoys time with her family doing simple things like movie nights and cooking together.

As a devotional writer, Casey strives to share her story with relatable honesty, showing how God is faithful throughout the big and small moments of life.

She has a heart for encouraging the faith walk of other moms, praying they gain a deeper connection with our Heavenly Father.

Her family lives in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia.

~*~
Connect with Casey:
Website: https://www.caseywayne.org/
Blog: https://peaceoffaith.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caseylwayne
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Peace.of.FaithCaseyWayne

Devotionals for the Heart: Planting tomatoes taught me about God's Love

Healed for a Purpose
A devotional by Casey Wayne

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

—2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (ESV)

Over the last few years I have started to do some gardening.

Last spring we moved to a new city and I already felt behind on my gardening plans. I wanted the garden to be as successful as possible and excitedly waited for any signs of vegetables to appear.

As blooms transformed into vegetables my excitement increased in anticipation of cooking with them and being able to say I grew them myself. One day, as I rushed out to the backyard to water the garden and check the plants, I noticed some of the tomatoes had busted open. In defeat, I threw a couple over the fence. About a week later I saw a couple more I must have missed. The lines where they had busted were now covered with a grayish, scarring like material. Assuming that it was not worth keeping, I also threw those over the fence.

A few hours later, as my husband and I discussed our day, I started sharing what I had discovered over the last week in the garden. He looked at me confused as I recounted the experience. Then, as I mentioned how I had thrown them over the fence he looked shocked. Before I could finish my story he blurted out, “Why did you do that?” After sharing my logic, he chuckled a bit, and told me how they just busted from an excess of water, but it does not make them unusable. They just burst from too much water but then begin to heal.

I'm so thankful our Heavenly Father (God) sees us the way my husband saw those tomatoes. Psalm 147:3 (ESV) says “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Sometimes we get overwhelmed and we start to break under the pain or stress this imperfect world inflicts on us. But the grace and hope of our faithful God redeems, restores and heals us. Just like those tomatoes I found in my garden, the Almighty can heal the damage we experience in this life. Those imperfections and scars leave a mark reminding us of what we have been through, but the important thing to remember is that God can use all things for His glory.

As my husband reassured me that the tomatoes are fine, it reminded me that we are never too far gone to be unlovable or unusable by the Almighty God we serve. Our stories of healing and hope become a light to others who need to connect with Jesus Christ. There is nothing we can do that takes us too far for Jesus to heal us or use us for His Kingdom purposes. Let’s read 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (ESV) where Paul tells the believers in Corinth, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

No matter who you are or what you have been through, God loves you, can restore you and has a plan for your life (Jeremiah 29:11). If you are in a season of life where you need healing, come to the feet of Jesus and give Him your pain. Allow the Holy Spirit to work in you, healing all the brokenness so that, in His timing, your story can become a beautiful testimony of His faithfulness.

Let’s Pray:

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for Your love and hope. Thank you for the gift of Jesus, who saved us from our sin. I humbly ask for Your healing and restoration in my life. Create in me a new creation for Your purposes. Open my heart to the work of the Holy Spirit so that You may redeem my brokenness for Your glory.

In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “Look What You’ve Done” by Tasha Layton. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Casey Wayne is a wife and mother of two children. 

She enjoys time with her family doing simple things like movie nights and cooking together.

As a devotional writer, Casey strives to share her story with relatable honesty, showing how God is faithful throughout the big and small moments of life.

She has a heart for encouraging the faith walk of other moms, praying they gain a deeper connection with our Heavenly Father.

Her family lives in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia.

~*~
Connect with Casey:
Website: https://www.caseywayne.org/
Blog: https://peaceoffaith.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caseylwayne
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Peace.of.FaithCaseyWayne

Devotionals for the Heart: When God calls you to love Him and the earth

Loving earth and loving God
A devotional by Jessica Brodie

As someone who was born and raised in the city, gardening is absolutely foreign to me. But I’ve always admired it. Deep down, I have a secret fantasy of being a homesteader, and I’m certain if I lived centuries ago, I would’ve been a farmer’s wife—maybe a farmer’s wife who somehow figured out time to write books on the side, but definitely someone on a farm.

I’ve made a couple of minuscule attempts to garden over the years, but they all ended in disaster. I did grow a tomato once, but something ate the rest of them, and I don’t know what I did wrong, but the other vegetables didn’t grow at all. And while I managed to grow one or two dahlias, that was it. I know the problem was with me, of course. I didn’t have a lot of time in that season of my life, and I didn’t put in enough devotion and care to really do it properly. Also, I gave up too quickly.

But in the last few years, for a variety of reasons, I’ve become increasingly convicted that I need to start gardening. More than that, I’m feeling a deep sense that not only my family but all people need to start returning to our roots—literally. By this I mean growing my own food. I’m entirely too dependent on my grocery store for food. Yet our ancestors were not this way. And frankly, between the prices of eggs and the shortage of some grocery items that we saw during the pandemic and its aftermath, it’s kind of scary to realize how dependent I am on stores.

What happens if catastrophe hits? How will I eat? Will I even know how to feed my family? I know God will always provide, and my earthly life is just temporary, but I also want to be equipped to help take care of people as long as God has me on this earth, and while I’m living here, I want to do so responsibly and thoughtfully. And I feel like God is telling me I need to start learning how to do some of these things for myself.

So this summer I’m going to start baby steps toward a garden. I’ll try a few vegetables, and my daughter is really interested in growing some flowers. We’ll see what happens.

It’s completely out of my comfort zone, but I feel like it’s an act of love and faith and obedience to God. Most of the time when I think of love, I think of it in relation to other people, or maybe even to animals. I might think of it as how I relate to my family or those I encounter in my community, and it’s also the wider community of people all around the world. But love also includes the earth. I know God loves the earth because God created it. God intentionally spent much time handcrafting the land and the seas and the heavens, and when He created people, He tasked us to take care of the animals and the land, to manage it well for Him.

As the Bible says in Genesis 2:15 (NIV), “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”

I appreciate technology as much as anyone. I use a cell phone, a laptop, electricity, running water, air conditioning, a microwave and stove, a dishwasher … all things of my ancestors did not have.

But let’s face the truth: Many of us are far too disconnected from the natural way of things, myself included. There’s no substitute for touching soil or leaves, for planting our feet in dirt or sand, for breathing in fresh air, for feeling the sun on our skin.

The Holy Spirit is nudging me to start gardening, and so I’ll respond. I’ll see what happens.

Whatever happens, I trust it’s going to help me appreciate creation more and, in turn, appreciate God more. For we are all connected—people, the land, the Lord, everything.

Let’s Pray: Lord, help me to love the earth as a way of loving You. Help me to honor You as I learn how to garden and tend and till, trusting and remaining open to whatever You wish to teach me. And help me always to love others in Your name. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “For the Beauty of the Earth” by BarlowGirl. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Jessica Brodie is an award-winning journalist, author, blogger, editor, writing coach, and devotional writer with thousands of articles to her name. 

Since 2010, she has served as the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism, which has won 123 journalism awards during her tenure. She is the author of Feed My Sheep: A 40-Day Devotional to Develop a Heart for Hunger Ministry (2019) and More Like Jesus: A Devotional Journey (2018) and the editor of a number of other books from her newspaper’s Advocate Press, which she helped found in 2017.

She has won more than 100 writing awards and is a seasoned speaker and frequent contributor to Crosswalk.com, Christianity.com, and BibleStudyTools.com, among many others. She has a weekly faith blog at JessicaBrodie.com and is part of the team at Wholly Loved Ministries, with her work included in many of their devotionals and Bible studies.

Brodie holds a Master of Arts in English, and she graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in communications/print journalism from Florida International University. Born and raised in Miami, Brodie now lives in Lexington, South Carolina, just outside Columbia. She has also lived in Ohio and in the mountains of western North Carolina. She and her husband, Matt Brodie, have a blended family of four teenage children and stepchildren.

Brodie has written several novels and is actively seeking publication through her agent Bob Hostetler of The Steve Laube Agency. Her novel The Memory Garden won the 2018 Genesis contest for Contemporary Fiction from American Christian Fiction Writers, and her novel Tangled Roots won a third place Foundation Award in Contemporary Romance at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference in 2019. She is finishing the third in the series, Hidden Seeds, now.

~*~
Connect with Jessica:
Website: https://www.jessicabrodie.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JessicaJBrodie
Facebook Author: https://www.facebook.com/authorjessicajbrodie
Facebook Personal: https://www.facebook.com/JessicaJBrodie
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicajbrodie/
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicajbrodie/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/shiningthelightjessicabrodie/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/jessicajbrodie

Devotionals for the Heart: Gardening

Beans and Blueberries 

A devotional by Sharon Musgrove

“From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” 

–Ephesians 4:16 (NIV)

Gardening is an activity that God has used to teach me about His kingdom. Participation in cultivating life has resulted in a consistent opening of my eyes to God's nurturing love. I share my garden stories for building up God’s family in that love.

I planted pole beans in the garden bed that lies between the rows of blueberries. The blueberries have been in the ground for longer than I have been the owner of the property, though I understand they've been there for decades. They are well established in that soil and have weathered much over the years. They are hearty, reliable, and sure.

The pole beans began from seed this spring. The seedlings went into the soil in May. They were newcomers to the garden.

When I was a kid, my grandfather planted pole beans and because of those memories, they have been a favorite of mine. I like eating beans, but I love the fun in harvesting them! I feel like a kid again. It's like a game of hide and seek looking behind broad leaves and under a self-made canopy for the produce that looks so much like the vine it came from. If it weren't for those memories of picking beans as a child, I would not have known how prolific pole beans grow.

Given good soil, watering and plenty of sunshine, pole beans grow rapidly. Long tendrils stretch, reaching up and out, unable to support themselves. They truly are reaching out for support. This year, they found support in the nearest blueberry bush.

Rather than building extra supports, I decided to let what was happening between the two plants play out, knowing that the beans would not last but one season, leaving the blueberry bush to continue.

What has happened between the two has been a joy to observe. The rapid growth of the beans found security in the support of the blueberry’s hearty stalks. The beans reached out and curled dainty fingers around thick branches. The large leaves of the beans brought extra shade to the old blueberry in a summer’s heat. Berries developed more slowly in their shade, becoming large, juicy and sweeter than their full-sun neighbors.

It looked like a jungle mess of intertwined bodies playing a savage game of Twister. However, when you duck under the exterior to see what's happening on the inside, an enchanting secret garden of beans and blueberries grow together!

God’s Spirit touches me there, every time I visit. The church family, the body of Christ, is like this garden. There are some, like me, who have been in the same soil for decades, weathering seasons of ice and drought. There are others, in our congregation, who are young and growing quickly, needing support of the mature. Some of these young “pole beans” have stretched out in missionary service to other countries…that's a long arm!

Rapid growth periods require support, no matter what the variety. Being stretched beyond capacity means you are healthy and potential for fruitfulness is increased. This is not weakness.

The added weight from the young plants strengthens the older “tried and true.” It’s a gift of greater purpose and adds new meaning to aging lives. It is not a burden to be resented. To partner together is a blessing that is greater than the success of the individual. The fruit is sweeter!

From the outside it looks messy. Could intertwined and messy be good and tidy independence deception?

Ephesians 4:16 points out that life begins with Christ…that ligaments are there for the purpose of support…and the body's work is building itself up. In Christ, with love, let’s build each other up!

Let’s Pray: Heavenly Father, thank you for the lesson of the beans and the blueberries! May we, Your church, work unified. Let us be at peace in our need, reaching out for support as we grow spiritually. May we also be generous in spirit as we bear the weight of those who require support.

~*~
Author Bio:

Sharon Musgrove is a self-proclaimed sociologist. The opportunities opened to her, over the years, have led her on a fascinating journey observing human behavior.

She has a diverse background in business, fitness and health industries. This background led her to a unique position writing curriculum and teaching for two private, Christ-based, residential recovery programs. Both recovery programs served women primarily from the homeless community.

Sharon has traveled multiple times to Kenya, serving on medical teams and teaching in the rural Maasai communities. She's been privileged to participate in Leadership camps for maturing young women. These annual camps have a mission of encouraging and empowering the impoverished, underprivileged, and often abused young Maasai girls.

Easily identifying personally with the brokenness of the women she's served, Sharon now sees all people as needing more encouragement regardless of cultural or socioeconomic status. Within these ministries, Sharon has witnessed the transformative power of loving words spoken to the broken-hearted. Sharing God’s love and witnessing its transformative power has become her passion.

In her leisure time, Sharon enjoys her garden, health food, travel and a good story. She and her husband, Jeff, make their home in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. They have two grown children. Currently, Sharon is writing her first Christian historical fiction novel utilizing her study, experience, and understanding of self-destructive behaviors.

Devotionals for the Heart: Pruning

Pruning Season
A devotional by Sharon Musgrove

“Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” – John 15:2 (ESV)

Gardening brings me awe and great joy. The activities of creation are entertainment to me.

For as long as I can remember, the outdoors has been my place of respite, a break from the to-do list that always seemed to originate indoors. For some, rest is found in coming in. I prefer spending quiet times in the yard because it is here that I witness how God has structured the laws under which life exists.

Three years ago today, I wrote about the importance of rest, likening winter to a Sabbath time. We require time and seasons for renewal. God designed it this way. Our lives include both day and night. Stopping our work is a commandment written in Exodus 20:9-10 (ESV), which says, “Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work...” God blesses the “setting down of the load.”

Years have come and gone, and as I have come through yet another winter season, I know that it is time to address the garden’s needs before spring shows up.

It’s time to prune.

Like a fruiting plant, I am maturing. This is the year that God has pointed out the time to cut back is at the end of the rest period. It’s at this time that the leaves are absent, revealing the true state of the branches. The bare bones of the plant show what has not survived heat of summer, damage of harvest and the bitter cold of winter.

I’ve come through a tough year. There is damage done, yet there has also been wonderful fruit. According to God’s cyclical design, rest was a requirement. And I took it. Slowing my pace, going on vacation, and taking naps were all a part of that rest. Reading replaced studying. I invited prayer. I shared with trusted people. I listened.

The rest has given me the nurturing to be ready for cutting season. I scrutinize my bare bones and know that I cannot be fruitful if growth continues in certain areas. I’ve been holding up dead weight. These areas must go.

Yet there are parts of me that have been strong and faithful. Parts of my life that have produced great fruit year after year. It makes sense that these “tried and true” parts should be preserved...right?

John 15:2 tells us that God trims both the nonproductive and the productive. One for being dead weight, the other to make room for more. All pruning for the purpose of more fruit.

What goes? The new shoot or faithful stock? The Gardener chooses. How will I respond?

If I hold too tightly to the fruit of my past, I will resent the cut. Be resentful of the Cutter too. I will not rejoice in the new fruit because I am focusing on the loss rather than the intended gain. If I have faith in God, I will accept His choice in pruning, perhaps grieving the loss, without becoming angry and resentful.

Pruning demands faith. Faith in the Gardener, not in the fruit.

The purpose of winter is renewal of the soil. While little happens outside, everything is happening inside. The building up of the soil is the building up of faith. Look closely. Cuttings become compost that replenish the soil. Everything is useful, there is no waste in the garden. And timing is everything.

I hope that you can glean from personal seasons of fruitfulness that God is faithful to produce fruit through you. I pray that you trust in His wisdom of rest and reliance for renewal of your heart. And I pray that your growing faith produces feelings of assurance and hope, in the midst of pruning season.

~*~
Author Bio:

Sharon Musgrove is a self-proclaimed sociologist. The opportunities opened to her, over the years, have led her on a fascinating journey observing human behavior. 

She has a diverse background in business, fitness and health industries. This background led her to a unique position writing curriculum and teaching for two private, Christ-based, residential recovery programs. Both recovery programs served women primarily from the homeless community.

Sharon has traveled multiple times to Kenya, serving on medical teams and teaching in the rural Maasai communities. She's been privileged to participate in Leadership camps for maturing young women. These annual camps have a mission of encouraging and empowering the impoverished, underprivileged, and often abused young Maasai girls.

Easily identifying personally with the brokenness of the women she's served, Sharon now sees all people as needing more encouragement regardless of cultural or socioeconomic status. Within these ministries, Sharon has witnessed the transformative power of loving words spoken to the broken-hearted. Sharing God’s love and witnessing its transformative power has become her passion.

In her leisure time, Sharon enjoys her garden, health food, travel and a good story. She and her husband, Jeff, make their home in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. They have two grown children. Currently, Sharon is writing her first Christian historical fiction novel utilizing her study, experience, and understanding of self-destructive behaviors.

Devotionals for the Heart: The Abundant Life from Jesus Christ

Living Abundantly
A devotional by Sharon Musgrove

“Then the Lord God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him."” – Genesis 2:18 (ESV)

A couple of years ago, my husband and I made the decision to downsize our family home. Our eldest child was graduating high school with plans to head off to University while our youngest was only two years behind. The changes in our lives initiated conversations of future retirement and plans beyond raising babies. Our large home felt like a drain on our time and resources; a hindrance to our future. So, we moved.

The new house was full of character and charm with sufficient with room for our kids to come home. The yard, however, was the thing that sold me. It had been smartly divided into what we believed to be manageable sized zones. Of personal interest to me was the garden.

I’d always dreamed of gardening, but the previous home had been located on a heavily wooded hillside alive with hungry wildlife. My extreme reaction to poison oak made it a place of frustration rather than gardening success. This new home came fully fenced, sun kissed and pre-planted.

The seasons changed and eventually the growing season hit full force. I was in the garden almost daily, admiring the flowers and the buds that were sprouting everywhere. Everywhere. Everywhere! Each bed, it turned out, was absolutely loaded with bulbs that were healthily multiplying and spreading. And while the flowering bulbs were of slight concern, the raspberry bushes were revealing a workload.

As I begun the berry harvest, a panic grew inside me. I could see the magnitude of what was coming and I knew I hadn't the time or ability to pick all that would come. I became sick with feelings of inadequacy and failure. Familiar feelings. Did we not just leave a property that took too much?

Living in abundant blessing did not look or feel like what I had assumed it would. I’d thought it could be divided into zones and it would manage itself. I’d assumed that fruitful gardening was like bank accounts with their tidy rows of credits and debits. This extravagant harvest was not controllable, not manageable…at least not by me.

In the midst of this dark thinking, light poured onto a patch that had been shaded. Suddenly, these words flooded my mind: That which God was providing was far more than I had hoped or dreamed…Wait, what? That was scriptural! Next, another verse entered my mind…His plans are to prosper and not harm me (Jeremiah 29:11)! The Word covered my fear in love. Here I was with far more than I could handle and that was God’s intent. It was good, not harming, to have abundance!

God created Eden fruitful, supplying sustenance to all. He gave Adam a management position in gardening. God shows us in Genesis 2:18 that solidarity is not good, help is. Living abundantly is a team sport.

What makes a profusion of juicy sweets a blessing? Sharing. Sharing both the blessing and the workload. The thought of letting others come and pick was a relief to the burden of the chore. I could have my fill and not be overwhelmed. Others could have their fill and be equally blessed!

A paradigm shift occurred that day. What else was weighing me down because I thought I needed to do it all myself? Where else were overwhelming feelings paralyzing me? What made me feel like a failure? What else could follow this pattern of abundance?

As the pile of berries grew in my bucket, so too did a list of tasks I knew I needed help with. Calling on others for help was a blessing to them and not my failure. Giving work to others brought them purpose and value and a share in the abundant life.

Looking back on the move, I am grateful. I'm thoroughly enjoying all that gardening has been teaching me. If I had known before that excess is a gift, I suppose I would have been contented to stay on the larger property. This lesson, however, came with the garden.

Thank you, Lord, for the abundance You have shared!

~*~
Author Bio:

Sharon Musgrove is a self-proclaimed sociologist. The opportunities opened to her, over the years, have led her on a fascinating journey observing human behavior.

She has a diverse background in business, fitness and health industries. This background led her to a unique position writing curriculum and teaching for two private, Christ-based, residential recovery programs. Both recovery programs served women primarily from the homeless community.

Sharon has traveled multiple times to Kenya, serving on medical teams and teaching in the rural Maasai communities. She's been privileged to participate in Leadership camps for maturing young women. These annual camps have a mission of encouraging and empowering the impoverished, underprivileged, and often abused young Maasai girls.

Easily identifying personally with the brokenness of the women she's served, Sharon now sees all people as needing more encouragement regardless of cultural or socioeconomic status. Within these ministries, Sharon has witnessed the transformative power of loving words spoken to the broken-hearted. Sharing God’s love and witnessing its transformative power has become her passion.

In her leisure time, Sharon enjoys her garden, health food, travel, and a good story. She and her husband, Jeff, make their home in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. They have two grown children. Currently, Sharon is writing her first Christian historical fiction novel utilizing her study, experience, and understanding of self-destructive behaviors.

Devotionals for the Heart: Our Hope

A Spring of Hope
A devotional by Christa MacDonald

“For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” 

–Romans 8:24-25 (NIV)

I garden in New England, so every season I have to start a goodly amount of my annuals indoors. I don’t have a potting shed or greenhouse, so the large front window becomes my staging area. I have trays of seedlings sitting in the sun, waiting for the warmer weather.

This weekend, I finally came to terms with my first failure of the year. I had to give up on my chilies. I had planted two varieties and patiently waited. And waited. Saturday made it one month since planting, and there was simply no way they were going to sprout. I think I know what I did wrong – not enough heat. I won’t make that mistake next year. For this year, I’ll just have to buy chilies from the nursery. Happily, my tomato seeds germinated just fine, and those seedlings are four-inches high and rising, something that delights me to no end.

There is nothing quite like gardening. Seeds go in the ground, or on the tray, or in the pot with great expectations or cautious hopes, and when the first shoots appear they bring joy with them. Spring is full of that particular kind of joy. Little green bits are popping up out of the ground everywhere. By the time May rolls around I’ll be setting out the veggies and the flowers, and a new phase of hope and expectation starts. I’ll be looking for flowers, and then fruit, with an eye to harvest-time.

Something about this particular kind of expectation reminds me of Christian hope. I think hope is one of the most difficult concepts in our faith. We often think of it like a wish or a desire we’re crossing our fingers that God will grant. Instead, hope is like that planted seed. We have an optimistic expectation because of Jesus. Hope in people and they will fail you. Hope in institutions and they will fail you. But hope in God and He will never fail you!

If you’re hoping that God gives you a million dollars, that’s not hope. Our hope rests in the truth that God is faithful. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6).

When we’re anxious, this is when we need to draw on this hope. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow but we know that God will provide. He may ask us to go through terrible trials, to struggle emotionally and financially, but He will be with us through it all. Nothing that we encounter in life can separate us from the love of God. Our hope is fixed and secure because Jesus Christ died (and rose again, completing the plan of salvation) so that we could live. We are able to have this security, this hope for eternity because Jesus paid the price for us. When we repent of our sins and place our faith in Him, we are redeemed.

When life is difficult, I try to remember how I feel when I see the first green shoots in spring. It’s the rainbow after the storm, a physical reminder of God’s promise to those who believe. I tuck that feeling in my heart, remembering my hope in God, the promise of salvation.

~*~
Author Bio:

Christa MacDonald is a 2017 ACFW Carol Award finalist for contemporary Christian fiction.

A native New Englander, she was inspired by her travels through the north woods of Maine to write The Broken Trail, which would become the first in the Sweet River Redemption series published by Mountain Brook Ink.

Christa's writing focuses on the real-life challenges of the modern world; love’s sometimes crooked path, and the redemptive power of Grace.

When not working or writing Christa can be found ferrying her kids around, reading, or attempting something crafty.

She and her husband live with their three kids, two cats, and one dog along the coast of New England. Connect with Christa at www.christamacdonald.com.

A devotional about Grace—God’s Beautification Award

Today, I'd like to introduce you to Catherine Castle.

She's a talented writer and photographer plus she's an award-winning author!

Catherine contributed her time and writing talent to pen a devotional for my blog that I believe will encourage you in your life journey.

Enjoy! :)

~*~
Grace— God’s Beautification Award
A devotional written by Catherine Castle

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God."—Ephesians 2:8

A few years back I received a beautification award from the local garden club. I came home from a three-week trip to find a note stuck in the door telling me I had been nominated for a “Best Hillside Garden” award. When I called the number on the note, I was told I had won the award!

While I was gone, one of the club members had driven around town looking for gardens, and she spotted my front yard which was, at the time, blooming with daisies and daylilies. The garden committee member who spoke with me went on about the ribbons of flowers that run through the back garden. She commented on colorful flowers that curve gracefully around the front of the house. She recognized the time I spent watering, weeding, and tending to the garden. She saw purple ninebarks nestled against chartreuse and lime green golden privets and forest green mugo pines. She described the front gardens as stunning and the back garden as awesome.

Naturally, I was ecstatic. I’d never won a garden award before. So, I went out to view my garden. What I saw was three dead evergreens at the top of the hill; the bare branches of a dead forsythia sticking up in brown mulch; hundreds of flowers that need deadheading; the slender, dead trunk of a dogwood shooting up from the center of bushy dogwood suckers; a graying pile of pallet flats at the top of the gully; a three foot sticker weed waving at me from Mom’s daylily bed; and the fungal diseases that claimed the lower leaves—and in some cases, the entire plant—of the brown eyed-Susans.

I was amazed the other gardeners overlooked the flaws, weeds, and work that needed to be done. Instead, all those who judged my garden saw beauty wherever they looked. They looked at my garden through different eyes. Eyes that didn’t see what I saw.

I was gone a lot from the garden that year. Between trips I had just enough time to pull a few weeds from the paths. It was a rainy season, so God watered for me. Thankfully, God is gracious, because without his grace in my garden that year I wouldn’t be the owner of a beautification award.

He is also gracious about my life. When he looks at me, one of his children, he doesn’t see the flaws of sin in my life. Because I am covered by his grace, though in faith and by the blood of Christ, God only sees the beautiful things in me, not the weeds.

I’m proud of my Shaker Farm beautification award, and I went around for weeks with a big smile on my face, saying, “I’m an award-winning gardener.” If a plaque with my name and a tiny trowel attached to it gives me that much pleasure, imagine how happy I’ll be when God’s Beautification Award of Grace grants me a spot in heaven and a golden crown.

I’ll take that award any day.

~*~

Author bio:

Award-winning author Catherine Castle has been writing all her life. Before beginning her career as a romance writer she worked part-time as a freelance writer. She has over 600 articles and photographs to her credit under her real name in the Christian and secular market. 

Besides writing, Catherine loves traveling with her husband, singing, and attending theatre. In the winter she loves to quilt and has a lot of UFOs (unfinished objects) in her sewing case. 

In the summer her favorite place to be is in her garden. She’s passionate about gardening and even won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club.

Catherine's debut inspiration romantic suspense, The Nun and the Narc, from Soul Mate Publishing is an ACFW Genesis Finalist, a 2014 Beverly Hills Book Award Winner, a 2014 EPIC finalist, a 2014 RONE nominee and a Carolyn Readers Choice Award finalist.

~*~
Connect with Catherine:
Amazon author page - http://www.amazon.com/author/catherinecastle
Blog - http://catherinecastle1.wordpress.com/blog/
Facebook - http://facebook.com/catherinecastleauthor

Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7085414.Catherine_Castle
Stitches Thru Time- http://stitchesthrutime.blogspot.com/

Soul Mate Publishing authors blog site- http://smpauthors.wordpress.com/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/AuthorCCastle 

Website - http://catherinecastle1.wordpress.com