Till Your Garden
We are well into the sixth month of the year; which means Christmas is tomorrow! No seriously, we are halfway through the year 2019 of our Lord and Savior! I was reminded of this truth through an accountability group I participate in. We were asked to right down goals that we would like to see manifest by December.
I have not done this yet, as I want to extend this invitation to my readers. I want to challenge us all to finish the year strong. It is not too late to put action to your plan; not too late to put purpose behind your pain. It is the perfect time to activate that thing lying dormant inside of you. Whatever has you stunted, stifled and stuck; we are going to pull it up today, so that we continue to bear fruit! Or if you have been barren and your tree has not seen fruit, we’re going to pluck it up and plant a new seed NOW!
Dry and Barren
For years now I’ve been wanting to till my front yard and transform it into a mini oasis of tranquility and a myriad of colors. However, I ain’t did NOTHING! Yes, AIN’T did nothing! Friday, I decided it would be the perfect time to pull up old stumps and make the front yard look like a botanical garden.
I went outside with my flip flops and shovel and went to work. I started lifting dead stumps, moving dry mulch, leaves, red dirt, and rocks. Some stumps came right up with little hesitation, but there was one stump that is dead and dry but somehow remained rooted. I could not get it extracted. My husband came out, flung dirt everywhere in his attempt to help me get this stump up, because apparently, he’s stronger than me. ha Well it did not bulge. It lifted slightly, but we were unable extract it!
Cultivate
The revelation of this struck me so deeply, that it inspired this blog post. There are some dead, barren but deeply rooted issues in our lives that is preventing growth. We are not yielding the fruit nor the change needed for us to transition to the next dimension of our purpose. The stump in my front yard is indicative of things in my life that I have allowed to stay there simply because it has not been a bane to my very existence, in most cases.
Believe you me, there are some thorns that was placed to buffet me for His glory. But there are some things/people we allow to stay simply because they are not actively presenting a threat. However, that thing is taking up space and utilizing a connection to our spirits that is draining us of energy in a subtle but persistent way. The root in your life, may not be a person or thing, but inner struggles and spiritual matters that are hindering your growth.
The Stump
That resistant, dead, unfruitful stump is not actually affecting my life; it’s just an eye sore. There may be something that you are struggling with that is infiltrating your life and it seems unbearable, unyielding, and resistant to being removed. But there is good news! It is not too late! You still have ample of enough time THIS YEAR to pull it up and replace it with peace, joy, understanding, healing, and deliverance.
There are some areas that we will be delving into as we till the soil of our lives. I believe earlier this year I shared with you all a revelation given by Sarah Jakes Roberts during the Night in the Wild Tour. The enemy is not only after our seed, he wants to contaminate our soil. If the seed is lost, we will always have soil for growth when God replaces the seed! He will replace it! The enemy is betting on us not to walk in the revelation that we are the soil! You are the soil, take ownership and evict everything that is contaminating your garden!
Identification
At this point, you may have already identified your stump. If you have not, take this time to identify what has been your hinderance. You may think its insignificant. If it is preventing you from reaching your goals and stunting your growth, that is the entity that needs to be eliminated. Identification is lucrative. Failure of identification prevents anything else to grow in its place. If you are unable to identify the issue or issues, how can you remove it and replace it with a fruitful alternative.
A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon and found none. Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? V8 And he answering said unto him, Lord let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it and dung it: And if it bear fruit, well: and if it not, then after that thou shalt cut it down. Luke 13:6-9
Should a thing remain unfruitful in our lives? We get comfortable with situations, while attaching a myth of normalcy. This makes it even more difficult to identify and extract it from our lives; because we have become accustomed to it. We do not view it as contamination because it has become apart of our normal. Like the stump, I have not removed it because it was a normal part of my yard.
Extraction
Extraction can seem difficult if you are not persistent and consistent with removal. Going back to the resistant stump in my front yard, at first attempt, I could not remove it. My husband could not remove it. Will that stop me? No at all. I am headed back with heavy artillery; sneakers, utility gloves, and more will. Remember I told you that I had on flip flops. I came ill-equipped to remove a rooted stomp out of soil.
I was not dressed to remove a stump. Out of fear of being stuck by the needles of the once alive sticky bush, I did not give it all I had. I needed some grounding, some tread to my shoes, some heavy utility gloves that will allow me to grab the stump, while my husband immerse the shovel deeply in the soil so we can pull it from the root!
Is it requiring more work? Absolutely. Will it be worth it in the end? Absolutely. The finished project will be simple, yet beautiful. What I’m saying is that, extraction may require more work than anticipated; you must be willing to put in the work until it is complete. It may not be easy. One pull may not get the job done. You may have to go back to the drawing board, devise a new and more efficient plan and then execute. You will more than likely have to change the way you move to undergo a successful extraction!
Replacement
Whenever something no longer occupies a space, it is best practice to replace it with something more valuable, suitable, and beneficial to the now vacant space. This is an important stage of this process, just as important as identification and extraction. If this new vacant space is not properly filled, we will fill it with small mundane things that is not lucrative to our discovered purpose; or God forbid, we will allow the same things to infiltrate the space and take root again.
All the hard work done in the extraction phase will be in vain. Fill the void. Fill the void with all the things that the space was preventing from growing in the first place.
When the stump is extracted, I am free to plant whatever I like in the space. But if it is never removed, nothing can ever replace it. I am not allowing the opportunity for something more lucrative to grow. Whenever God removes things from our lives, He provides more lucrative and fruitful replacements.
To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. Isaiah 61:3
Reflection
As we reflect on the first part of this year and begin to write our vision for December’s manifestations, what stumps do we need to identify, extract, and replace as we strive to become the best versions of ourselves? This process is not attractive and pleasant; its nothing that we run without hesitation to do, however it will be worth the work.
Questions to consider:
Are you cultivating your garden?
Identify dead, barren areas/situations in your life.
How will you implement your extraction method?
What will be your replacements?