Preparing our Soil

But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. – Romans 8:25

 “Is it time now?” Emily asked for the hundredth time. “Not yet, Honey”, I answered again to my four-year-old daughter who immediately resounded with yet another “Whyyyy not?” “Because we have to wait until the soil is ready,” I explained. You see, the previous weekend I had bought bulbs and flower seeds for us to plant in a flower garden. We picked just the right spot in front of her playground.  It could be 15 feet across and 3 feet wide…just the perfect size for all that we had to plant. Emily’s first thought was to grab a shovel and begin planting. I have to admit that it was my first thought, too.  First, it was a fun activity that Emily and I were looking forward to and second, it would save so much time.  We could get everything planted in one hour and then wait for the seeds to spout. We would certainly see those sprouts much quicker that way.  But my rational adult side knew without question what would happen if we did.  Not only would our seeds grow, but so would all of the weeds that were already mixed in with the soil. It would result in such a mixture of both that the beauty of our flowers would be lost and the enjoyment of our bed would be greatly diminished. Instead, I knew, we would have to ask Keith to help make the bed just right for our flower garden. First, he would have to till up the current soil that was full of weeds. Then he would have to remove all of the existing soil that had just been tilled up. Next, he would have to place a plastic barrier at the base of the bed to keep out weeds from the ground below the flower bed. And finally, he would fill up the bed with pure potting soil…soil that would be fertile enough to grow beautiful flowers, but without the weeds that would ruin the beauty of the flower bed. And that’s exactly what he did two weeks later on the first weekend day with sunny weather.  Though the wait was long, Emily and I were soon enjoying what we thought was the most beautifully wonderful flower garden in the world.

Think about this story in relation to our spiritual life.  Often, we have a desire for something and we want it now.  We want to be able to control the situation and get whatever it is immediately or at least what we would perceive is a reasonable amount of time.  But perhaps our soil isn’t ready. Perhaps we must wait until just the right time after our own Father has dug out all of the weed-filled soil and replaced it with pure soil, leaving his holy spirit as a barrier to further help keep out weeds, or rather a corrupt society, our own negative emotions, or any other influence that might make our soil less fertile.  Think about the time, effort, and love God might put into making our “bed”, just like the time and effort Keith put into making the bed for Emily. He does this for the same reason Keith did it for her…because He loves us so much and will do anything in the world for us.

Now imagine yourself as Emily in the same scenario.  Have you recently asked God if it’s time yet and questioned why your seed can’t just grow in the soil that’s already there?  If so, understand that just as I knew why Emily’s seeds shouldn’t be planted before the time was right if I wanted her to experience perfectly beautiful flowers, God, too, knows just the right time that your seed should be planted in His fertile soil. And when He does, I promise that you’ll experience nothing less than the most beautifully wonderful garden in the world.