Intentional Gardening–and an Intentional Life–in Partnership with God

Since 2022 was my worst gardening year EVER, my enthusiasm for spring and another year of digging in the dirt seems completely unreasonable. After all, 2022 began with great intentionality–an early planting of peas and lettuce and lots of faithful watering followed by thorough weeding of the growing plants.

Certainly, the plump woodchuck living under the bushes nearby appreciated my efforts. And the silent deer didn’t say much, but they left their tracks in the soft soil where bean plants had been. I think they were grateful, too. It goes without saying that when we plant the garden next month, we will be intentional about foiling the critters who make their home on or near this country hill.

Intentional Gardening in Partnership with God

It’s encouraging to note that we never garden alone, and the prophet Isaiah is beautifully expressive about the common grace of seedtime and harvest:

For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,
and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up,
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
to sprout up before all the nations.”

Isaiah 61:11

Still, in my experience, “the earth brings forth its sprouts” much more reliably and plentifully when I spend the necessary time on the business end of my favorite hoe. The work of the garden is always a partnership.

God brings rain, sunshine, the rich and fertile soil with its tunneling earthworms. I bring the seeds, displace the weeds, supplement the water supply, and bend for the gift of gathering. Too, it’s no coincidence that all that mindless labor is the perfect context for reviewing scripture memory, praying for my grandkids, or exegeting my circumstances in light of what I know to be true about God. (Especially that last one…)

Intentional Spiritual Practices in Partnership with God

Standing or stooping in my garden, I portray the work that’s required for spiritual cultivation, for I believe God is pleased when I come to spiritual disciplines with the same fervor I bring to the elimination of ragweed between my tomato plants. In their new book (keep reading for my review), Glenn and Holly Packiam have framed my lived experience with this vivid metaphor:

Cultivation requires intentionality.
Fruitfulness flows from faithfulness.
Growth happens only on purpose.”

In this way, “the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up.” Just as we are called to meet common grace with hard work in the garden, we are also called to join the Apostle Paul in “struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within [us].

We bring the energy of a morning farm hand to our habits of holiness, reading the sacred text even when we’re in “the begats,” and trusting that our regular, faithful, daily infusion of truth is building for us a biblical worldview. Imperfectly, we pray for stones that look an awful lot like bread from our perspective and then trust that all the while God the Holy Spirit is “fixing our prayers on the way up.”

So, even after the Garden Debacle of 2022, I’m coming to the spring of 2023 with every intention of working hard and trusting God. And even though my own righteousness is often as hit-or-miss as a poorly-seeded row of lettuce, God promises that righteousness will “sprout” because of his character and his faithfulness to reveal his glory for all to see.

What are your gardening dreams for this spring?
What good intentions are you bringing to your walk with God?

Do I come to spiritual disciplines with the same fervor I bring to weeds between my tomato plants? Called to meet common grace with hard work in the garden, we bring the energy of a morning farm hand to our habits of holiness.

Tweet

And Now, Let’s Talk About a Book with Help for Big Picture Intentional Living…

The Packiams’ hopeful message embraces the power of practice. It’s absolutely true that we are continually being formed by our habits. Therefore, our ability to respond well to immediate crises or drawn-out seasons in the wilderness depends, in large measure, upon the foundation we are building on a daily basis. I found in The Intentional Year an invitation to stop on purpose, reassess my priorities, listen to the Lord, and pray my way toward freedom.

This is not a book that shouts, “Come on! You can do better!” Instead, the reader is challenged to honestly assess her foundation in prayer, rest, renewal, relationships, and work, and then find, to her surprise, that this is the path to becoming rooted in love as our primary motivation in a life that is “filled entirely with the fullness of God.”

Holding You in the Light,

“Cultivation requires intentionality. Fruitfulness flows from faithfulness. Growth happens only on purpose.” #TheIntentionalYear by Holly and @gpackiam via @NavPress #NetGalley

Tweet

Come Close to the Story During Holy Week…

As a gift to my newsletter subscribers, I’ve created a collection of 20 devotional readings called Come Close to the Story, a preparation for your true celebration of resurrection on Easter Sunday. This Lenten season I invite you to join me for a daily pause—most readings should take five minutes or less—to come close to the story. In your busy life, remember that Easter is on its way. Affirm your belief in resurrection power, and then admit that without a death, there would be no resurrection.

Every month I send a newsletter with biblical encouragement straight to my subscribers’ email inboxes. Frequently, I share free resources, and the newsletter is where everything lands first. I’m committed to the truth that women can become confident followers of God and students of his Word, and it’s my goal to help you along that path.

To add this free resource to your pursuit of biblical literacy and to make Come Close to the Story part of your Lenten observance, simply enter your email and then click on the button below…

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees. If you should decide to purchase any of the books or products I’ve shared, simply click on the image, and you’ll be taken directly to the seller. If you decide to buy, I’ll make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Many thanks to NavPress and Net Galley for providing a copy of this book to facilitate my review, which is, of course, offered freely and with honesty.