IT STARTS WITH MANURE

Galatians 6:7 (Living)
“You always harvest what you plant.”

I’ve never been much into gardening. Maybe it has something to do with my first (and last) experience. I was about eight years old and my dad asked if I wanted to help him plant his vegetable garden. Of course I did. So my dad gave me a large bag of something called manure and told me to spread it out on the ground. Despite the smell, I proceeded to do so with my hands. When I finished, I was told the soil’s origin, and needless to say, haven’t gardened since.

Well, not in the traditional since. The Bible says we garden every day. I love the way the living Bible puts it... “You always harvest what you plant.”

Each and every day I find myself bumping elbows with strong opinions, attitudes and frustration. Last night during my devotion time, I began to ponder what kind of seeds I had been planting. Are they seeds of discord or seeds of unity? Seeds of anger or seeds of joy? Seeds of dissension or seeds of peace? I didn’t like the answer. Some seeds I had planted were those that would not bring a crop that helped the Kingdom of God. I know that I need to cut some weeds out of my life that choke me from planting the right seeds. I plant the wrong kind of seeds when I’m not drawing close to God, and allowing other things to occupy my time. I need to put the fruit of the spirit in my soil, so that God can have his blessings grow in my life.

And remember, sometimes we have to handle manure, but in the end, if we plant the right seeds, we will harvest a garden that will make the smell all worth it.