How’s Your Heart?

​​My very first Mother’s Day gift was an entire rose garden. My husband spent several weekends on the big backyard project. I was so excited to see the beautiful brick garden beds finally completed and ready to fill with flowers and trees. However, there was one very important step to complete before planting: filling the beds with soil.  My husband researched the best soil mixture for our flower and fruit tree garden. After doing some research, he carefully crafted the best mixture of soil for our environment.

​It’s been four years since we planted the rose garden, and my roses have grown tall, well above our back fence. They explode with fragrant blooms each year, and our fruit trees have produced a delicious harvest.

When I think about the fruit of the Spirit, I think about the sowing and reaping involved in gardening. The care we invested into preparing my rose and fruit tree garden serve as a spiritual lesson.

The Lord has been dealing with me on the condition of my heart “soil.”  Is my heart prepared for sowing seeds that produce the fruit of the Spirit?

Recently I was having a really hard time with my middle child. It seemed like everything I tried with him failed.  After many months of frustration, guilt, and exhaustion, I broke down. My husband and I began seeking the Lord and praying for insight into this situation.

The Master Gardener, Jesus, helped me get to the heart of the matter. I began meditating on Proverbs 4:23 and realized there were some roadblocks in my own heart that were preventing healing. God showed me parts of my heart AND my son’s heart that had been neglected. I was sowing seeds (trying to be patient, kind, loving), but the seeds fell on poor soil.

Isn’t it a relief to know that we can talk to the Master Gardener anytime we need to? If you feel stuck or stagnant in an area of life, ask the Master for insight into the situation because He has the answer.

When I allowed God to work on my heart and mend the soil, I began to feel a change from the inside out. Instead of “trying to be patient,” I felt peace. Rather than trying to give my son more attention to curb his outbursts, I felt more joy when we were together. And the Master replaced my feelings of resentment with pure love. Peace, love, and joy— real, lasting fruit of the Spirit began to grow.
 
What is the condition of your heart? Is it dry and resistant, or well-watered and ready to receive? Ask the Master Gardener to show you what He sees.
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In the physical garden, the soil mixture and properties must be high quality to grow beautiful roses and produce much fruit.  The same is true for our spiritual gardens-- we must cultivate the heart soil so the Holy Spirit can help us bear much fruit. Laying the right soil can be a humbling and hard process, but when you ask the Master Gardener to show you the way, He will always get to the heart of the matter.
 

About the Author

My name is Audra Powers and I'm a wife and stay-at-home mom to three young children in the high desert of Albuquerque, New Mexico. My hobbies include hiking, playing guitar and thrifting! I love writing about faith, family and living motherhood empowered.

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