Earlier this week, I wrote about it being almost time to plant a garden and the need to prepare the soil. You have to clear out the weeds and the rocks, add a little fertilizer, and work on ridding your life of doubts, fears, and negative people. Well, the next step in planting a garden is to actually plant the seeds. It seems like planting the seeds would be the most obvious and easiest step, but friends – have you ever actually planted seeds? Did you go out the next day to see plants growing? No – once you plant the seeds, it takes time for them to grow. To me – this is the HARDEST PART! I go out every day to see if something is coming up! In the same way, it can take a while for us to see results in our spiritual garden, too.
Have you ever had a Bible study with someone – you’ve spelled out the plan of salvation and yet – they’re not ready to put on Christ in baptism? We become discouraged, but, Friends, we have to let the seed take root before it can grow. We often get impatient with others, but we can also get impatient with ourselves. Guess what? We’re not perfect! We’re going to make mistakes. That’s where God’s grace comes in. Remember that we are a “work in progress.” God didn’t promise that living the Christian life was going to be easy – He just said that it’s going to be worth it. Hang in there! We are simply blessed, Courtney