Spiritual Garden
June 9, 2023
Often, I find my spiritual growth can be interrupted by my self-perception.
I think can be difficult to see ourselves the way God sees us when we get distracted by our failures and shortcomings. We mess up and we are “the worst”. Why is self-criticism the default way of thinking? And why is it so challenging to give up that way of thinking?
No one is perfect except for God, and he has so much mercy and grace for us. He created us to be in close relationship with him so the world around us can encounter and learn more about him as well. Confidently be the one He so lovingly crafted and formed so others can experience His healing love.
I typically associate people with things to better understand or apply them to my life. In this analogy, I see us like plants in a garden; the variety is vast with so many different purposes. Some plants may do well will little to no tending, while others need to be fertilized regularly, have the right temperature, humidity, etc. Some plants stay happily in their little spaces, while others grow wild. Frankly, the less maintenance the better if it is going to survive in my home.
One thing I’ve been fascinated with after trying to maintain my own garden was the pruning process. Before there’s any fruit on a plant, the gardener trims off one of the center stems. Removing a healthy stem feels like a huge loss -even one that may ruin the plant and destroy your goal of having a self-sustaining hobby farm (I may be projecting here). But what happens is extraordinary…the pruning produces more growth. You can still see where the branches were cut off, but it is surrounded by new growth.
Now, I am not saying self-criticism is a healthy stem needing to be trimmed off. I’m saying, let’s imagine the growth we would see in and around us if we were intentionally tending to what’s allowed to grow in our lives. What fruit do you want to see in your life? What needs to be trimmed off to make room for that? We may still fall short or mess up at times but remember, like a garden, it’s a process.
Grow strong and bloom my friends.
Sincerely,
Mea