Oh How I Love This Time of Year!!

Isaiah 58:11

"And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. "

I love and treasure the new beginning of Spring. The heads of my beloved perennials popping through the soil, my strawberry bed coming to life, my cold frame ready to be planted, and my vegetable garden, ready to be tilled. This is such an exciting time of year. A time of new beginnings.

This has got me thinking a bit. More often than not the act of reading scripture each day feels like the hard work of tilling a garden, hauling compost, and sowing tiny seeds. I think we sometimes set ourselves up for disappointment by expecting miracles to happen, angels to descend, or the Holy Spirit to drop in as we read these sacred words. Many times Bible study feels like, well, study.

It's not unreasonable to expect God to use scripture in powerful ways, and there are times when words jump off the page and into our lives, bringing renewal and the life of God. However, in the grand scheme of things, I think that reading scripture is a way that God tills the stiff, barren soil of our lives, sows words of life, and then, whether immediately or later, those words will sprout with power and relevance.

Just as a farmer must always till, plant, and harvest every year, we have the same responsibility to continue reading scripture, sowing new seeds, and allowing God to raise up new life. When we least expect it, the seeds of scripture sown into our lives will be brought to life by the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is at work in our prayer lives and in our reading of scripture; however we sometimes must dedicate time to the hard work of letting scripture till and take root as we read it daily. We may not see the benefits right away, but if we can keep up with it, the harvest will be tremendous

Yesterday, my beloved hubby, Glenn, tilled part of our vegetable garden. Enough to plant the things that are okay in the cold. Peas, Corn, Beans and maybe some lettuces and spinach. Oh how I love my hard working hubby! Thank you Glenn!

I can't help but marvel in the comparison of my life and that of a garden, tilled and brought to life by the Lord!