Being faithful in your Garden

A few weeks ago, as I was spending some alone time with God, He laid on my heart. "Be faithful in your garden". At the time, I didn't know what He was saying to me. I asked Him, "what do you mean Lord?" and He responded, "bloom where I've planted you and I will take care of the rest. Don't worry about how everything will unfold, it's not your job to figure it out. Leave your life in my hands".

Being faithful where the Lord places us can be very challenging. Especially now in our generation, where so much is thrown at us. We compare ourselves to others, we become jealous of people's successes, anger and bitterness arises in our hearts. And we loose focus on Jesus. Which is exactly what the devil wants. The devil's goal for men and women of God is to be set off course and pull us away from Jesus. But when we go through times like this, we need to pause, realign ourselves to what God wants, and repent. Also, we need to start watering the grass that we're standing on instead of comparing our garden to someone else's. Which I believe is a valuable lesson to learn no matter what stage of life you're in. It's important to realize we all have different gifting's/talents that magnifies God's kingdom. We all need each other in Christ.

For those of you who have a green thumb and are really into gardening, you know the amount of work it requires to maintain it. You need to sow the seed, water it, allow the sun to beam down and do the work, also fertilizing the plant so no pesky bugs ruin it Lol. Along with all those requirements, there are moments when you need to transplant and move your flowers somewhere else in the garden. Then sometimes you'll see weeds that need to be uprooted and thrown out. All these tasks include work and consistency on your part. If you leave your garden unattended, chances are more weeds will start growing and ruin your plants. If you don't take the time to fertilize, your plant won't grow healthy and strong in the soil which leads it to deterioration. You need to tend to your garden by looking after it, but also giving time for your plants to grow. Rushing the process leads to damage and the garden won't be as plentiful as you'd hoped. There's importance in patience. Remember that.

I love what John 15:1-2 says, "I am the vine and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful " (NIV).

Then going into verse 4 it states, "Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me".

Jesus is our gardener. He knows exactly what needs care in our gardens. Maybe there's some pesky weeds in your life that needs to be uprooted. For some, those weeds are unforgiveness, anger, guilt, shame, jealousy, comparison, fear of failure, past experiences, embarrassment, and hatred. Friends, it's time to expose those weeds and uproot them. They have overstayed their welcome in your garden. Enough of allowing the devil to rob you of what you're destined for. It’s time for you to develop a bountiful garden in Jesus name. I encourage you to speak that over yourself today and everyday!

Although there are different stages to gardening, the same applies for our life. Here’s the thing, your life is going to look different from someone else. Which is like a garden, people have the same flowers and different flowers including different stages of growth. So If God wants you to stay and maintain right now in this season, then stay and maintain. Bloom where you are planted!! If God wants to transplant you, You will be transplanted at the right time! Don't rush ahead of God! Further, please don't compare yourself to another person's season. (I know this is easier said than done). But trust me, by comparing your season to someone else's is only giving the devil more ammunition to distract you by keeping you back from your blessing. And more weeds will start growing causing damage to your garden. The Bible tells us in Galatians 6:9, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up".

Jesus never told us that this life will be easy. We will face moments where are faith will be tested, nasty roots that will be pulled out, seasons of pruning/refinement, including being relocated in new territory. All of this happens to bring us closer to Jesus because we cannot do anything without Him!! He must be at the centre in our life! Friends, I really believe that we don't have the time to get caught up in comparison and jealousy. We are all in this together growing at different stages. Eternity needs to be at the forefront of our minds. Let’s face it, when we stand before Jesus face to face none of this comparison/jealousy/distraction stuff isn’t going to matter. What matters is how we handled the assignment the Lord gave us, and having a pure heart.

The Calling the Lord placed on your life is not about you.... God never designed it to be a competition.

Our calling isn't just about what you do for the Lord, It is how you BE with the Lord. That is our highest calling.

We are called to tend. Tend to God, spend time in His presence. Listen to His voice

Follow His leading, Be obedient!

We are called too mourn with those who mourn and rejoice with those who rejoice. You don't just do one over the other. We are called to do both!

So if you want to be faithful in your garden, Tend to it well! Look after what God assigned you with!

Here is some questions that I want to leave with you for your own time

1. How am I tending with God in this season in life?

2. What are the roots in my life that need to be uprooted?

3. What has God been teaching you in your season of maintaining or transplanting?

4. Have you compared your life (aka: garden) to someone else? if so, pray about it to God and ask Him to forgive you by shifting your focus on Him! (He knows what you need)!

Oh, and PS: Good things take time! So give time for the Lord to work on your garden. Once you let God work, it will be so beautiful and you will reap a beautiful harvest! Don’t give up! Tend to your garden and keep growing in the Lord. Trust me you'll thank Him for the waiting period <3

"Wait on the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait on the Lord” (Psalms 27:14).

~Noelle <3