Dear Church Family,

    I read a quote today that gave me something to think about and perhaps it will get you thinking as well. Here it is: 

“When it comes to living your life, think agriculturally, not industrially. When it comes to living your life, think like a farmer, not like a technocrat (a technical expert). When it comes to your life, think gardens, not microwaves.” 

I love that last line, “think gardens, not microwaves.” Personally, I love microwaves. When you need something heated quickly you simply put it in the microwave and zap it. Microwaves are great! However, when it comes to our lives and the church it is much better to think gardens, not microwaves. Why? Because growth takes time. Gardens take time to grow. There are seasons of preparation and seasons of harvest. If we want to see growth in our lives we need to think gardens, not microwaves.

    In gardening and life, the harvest is the goal. Even though there are several things that can and will happen the goal is to produce a harvest. Producing a harvest requires intentionality, patience, effort and a constant dependence on the One who causes things to grow. There are many parallels between growing a garden and living the Christian life. The Apostle Paul uses gardening language in Galatians 6:8-9 where he says, 

“For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” 

If you and I are going to grow into the people God wants us to be then we must have a garden mindset. We must sow our decisions, our words, our motives, our passions, our behaviors, and our time according to God’s Word. We must not grow weary of sowing this way or we will miss out on the harvest that God can produce in our lives. What are you sowing and growing in the garden of your life?

In Christ,

Pastor Ron Jones