How Does your Faith-Garden Grow?

 

The purple mum plant looked healthy and vibrant at the store. Two weeks later at my house, not so much. Was I watering it too often or not enough? Did it get sufficient sun?

My friend Janeen has a yard of bountiful fall blooms. Maybe I could ask her for advice—even though it’s a bit embarrassing to admit my ignorance.  Or I could go back to the gardening center and contact the experts that grew my mum.  Actually, didn’t the plant come with some instructions on a small card? Where did I put that?

Being raised in a church-going family, confirming my faith at age 13 was a meaningful rite of passage. Patient Sunday school teachers and catechism classes had regularly watered the Holy Spirit’s seed soul-planted at my infant baptism. Just as God promises to everyone, the Word provided the vital nourishment for my growth in faith. 

But there have been many occasions since then, when my reliance on Son-shine strength has wilted. Worry weeds will distract me from sensing the Gardener’s presence and care.  Fixating on my feelings, instead of Grace-truth, will prohibit healthy faith-fruit. 

How does vibrant, heaven-bound belief become weak?

 And how do I purposely protect and nourish it?

Watering From the Word

Psalm 1 says a person who loves and meditates on God’s Word is like a fruitful, evergreen tree growing next to a stream. Do I love God’s Word? I can pray he gives me a desire to read, learn, and apply Scripture to my life. This is a prayer our LORD promises to answer affirmatively. 

Meditation comes from a Latin word meaning “to ponder.” Again, I need to ask the Holy Spirit to teach me how to shut out everything else—my self-made busyness, the world’s interruptions with wrong priorities, and the like—to pause and ponder. Admitting my ignorance about meditation how-tos, I continue to ask Christian friends about this spiritual discipline.

The gardening center of the soul is the Bible-preaching church. I have been blessed with pastors who never tire of encouraging personal and public Word nurturing. Praise God for a church body with pastor, staff minister, and teacher training experts who pass on the importance of consistent soul sustenance. 

Fences and Armor

Anyone who lives in an area with flower or vegetable eating critters is wise to have a protective fence. How much more than a hungry animal does Satan attempt to devour or dishearten my faith? Thanks be to Jesus, there is an instruction book to teach not only continued growth but defending it. 

Paul instructed Christian soldiers how to be prepared, “with the belt of truth

buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness fastened in

 place, and with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace tied to your

 feet like sandals.  At all times hold up the shield of faith, with which you will be

 able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the Evil One.” (Ephesians 6:14-16).

 The last part of this section reminds all of the most effective, powerful weapon

 God places in his children’s hands—his Word.  

Dear heavenly Father, Thank you for feeding our faith with the water of your Word.  Forgive us when, with foolish preoccupations, we block the Son shining on and in our hearts.  Teach us to ponder and praise your truth, and daily put on the armor you provide. 

May your kingdom spread and our faith-garden continually grow, according to your will. 

In Jesus’ name. Amen.