This last weekend we planted 2/3 of our vegetable garden. The garden is pretty good sized (30 x 50) 1500 sq. ft. There was a lot of preparation before we got to the point of getting seed into the ground. It starts the year before. In the fall, at the end of the season, I till all the remnants of the garden under. I add compost from the yard leaves and till again. Then the garden is officially put to bed for winter.

In the spring, I add more leaves and dead grass from the lawn and till it again. I wait a few weeks and till one final time. At this point, all the soil preparation work has been done and the garden is now ready to accept seed. The success of the crop is dependent on how well the soil is prepared. Now you can prepare less, but if you do, you will have more work along the way. You will pull more weeds, have to water more, and the end result will be that the harvest will be less bountiful.

So, the actual planting part was pretty easy, the soil was loose and damp, the rows were clear, no rocks or debris, and the weather was nice. The seeds sunk easily into the soil with very little effort involved.

My life has been like the garden. There was a time in my life when any good seeds that we thrown into my life might have just as well been thrown onto the pavement. My heart was still hardened. The cement needed to be broken up first. The debris cleared away, the ground tilled, and compost added. Even seed scatted at this point would not have produced a good crop. It was not ready yet.

The process of preparation takes time. The softening and conditioning of my heart happened through love and prayer from many different sources. This was the majority of the work. Not glamorous or attention grabbing.

When the preparation was complete, the ability for the good seed to be planted was ready. It was, and my life was forever changed. The seed produced a good crop of hope and blessing. A bounty of healing and good relationships. Life more abundantly.

I love the comparisons with the yard and garden and the Lord. I can clearly see it. To many times people focus on the fruit and the end result without taking into account the upfront work. The end result is a natural outworking of the work put into it early in the process. Arguing, debating, and trying to convince others of a particular position or point is a waste of time. You are throwing seeds unto pavement. The work you need to do starts early with love and prayer. So, may you realize the powerful jackhammer, softening properties that only love can give.