As Christians we should look at our lives as a spiritual garden that requires careful feeding and tending. Failure to do so will allow our relationship with God to wither and die.
2MefromHim Devotionals
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3:18
I don’t have a green thumb. The genes which make for a successful gardener passed me by. Therefore, I was surprised when the geraniums, set beside a window in our garage for the winter, were not only growing leaves, but blooming. They were pale, sickly looking things, but they were alive.
The only plants I manage to grow are giant pots of geraniums on my front porch. They not only survive my hit-or-miss watering and feeding techniques, they are not a favorite with the squirrels which seem to think flowers stems which must taste like Brussel sprouts) are a delicacy.
Food and water in regular helpings are necessary for plants to grow and thrive. I managed this with my children, however, when it comes to plants, my methods often fail. The geraniums may have survived my neglect over the winter, but they withered and the leaves dropped off following a liberal dosing of plant food in the spring.
Watering and praying go well together, and my plants are not so different from my relationship to God. My spiritual life requires appropriate food, water, and light. Neglecting daily prayer and Bible reading, and failing to attend worship services on a regular basis, causes me to wither and die spiritually. I fail to become the thriving specimen of God’s handiwork that He created me to be.
Scripture makes it plain that Christians are needy. Fellowship encourages me to blossom and reach out to others. Prayer waters and refreshes my spirit, helping me to withstand the perils of life. Spending time in His word on a daily basis feeds my hungry soul, keeping me strong and healthy.
Neglecting any one of these aspects of the Christian life, it affects all the others. Like neglected flowers, I lose my beauty and fail to benefit those around me. My spirit languishes without careful nurturing, just as my flowers wither without proper food, water, and light.
As my geraniums remind me daily, I can thrive and be healthy with proper care. Nurturing my spirit as I nurture my plants enables me to become a thing of beauty in God’s garden of life.
© Copyright June 1, 2013 by Norma Gail Thurston Holtman
About the author:
Norma Gail’s contemporary Christian romance, Land of My Dreams, released in 2014. She is a Bible study leader, and writes devotionals for ChristianDevotions.us, StitchesthruTime blog, and “The Secret Place.” She belongs to American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, and the New Mexico Christian Novelists. She is married and has two adult children.
Connect with Norma:
Website: www.normagail.org
Book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQbZIoC_JSE
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorNormaGail
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+NormaGailwrites
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/normagailth/boards/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7874459
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Norma_Gail
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/norma-gail-thurston-holtman/42/71a/3b2
Book Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Land-My-Dreams-Norma-Gail/dp/1941103170
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/land-of-my-dreams-norma-gail/1119606864?ean=9781941103173
Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas Bookstore: http://store.lpcbooks.com/product/land-of-my-dreams/
4 Comments
Thank you for this timely reminder to remain in God’s Word and prayer daily. 🙂
Bless you, Marcie!
tryin to spend more time in His Word 😀
Me too!