Our Rich Soil

Last year, my husband and I landscaped all around our house and back patio.

We had a clean slate before we got to work, and I loved making some of my ideas come to fruition as we began planting together. I'm talking hydrangeas, boxwoods, roses, sunflowers, and liriope—a type of grass that has small purple flowers pop up towards the end of summer. I really got into it and just threw myself into the work. It was a nice distraction during a really stressful season. And even while I thought I saw some of its beauty last summer, it's even more beautiful this year after the time it has had to grow deeper roots—after the post-first-season pruning and fertilizing and mulching.

Being in the yard, planting like this, and seeing the care these plants needed moved my mind to prayer, thinking of God and our relationship with Him, wanting that "rich soil" (Luke 8:15). Watching the sunflowers change position throughout the day so that they faced the sun—that metaphor wasn't lost on me. The same was true for deadheading other flowers and seeing them flourish after the fact. We never like to be pruned ourselves, but maybe the Lord holds in store more growth, more blooms at a later time, deepening our roots in Him.

Now as I see our rose bushes blooming more than I could have imagined last summer, I'm also reminded to be patient in this work—not just landscaping, but I'm talking about the work of our sanctification, our holiness—and whatever fruits we hope to bear here. These things all take time and care. They take perseverance and holding on to the belief that digging up and replanting and deadheading will produce a beautiful bloom "later on."

What are you planting in your life right now, and what sort of care and perseverance does it need to bloom?

Be patient in this work. // Annie Deddens Click to tweet

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