Desired Haven Farm

It’s Just A Tree, How Hard Can It Be?

I just have to share the utter chaos that surrounds a Christmas tree in our house.

Let’s start at the beginning. First, we must choose a tree. I’m really kicking myself for not taking pictures during this, but I think the craziness caused me to quit thinking. You’ll just have to use your imagination.

Sunday morning, two weeks later than we usually pick a tree, we bundle everyone up in all their winter gear. Tiny abominable snowmen, they all waddle to the van, eager to go. We climb in, Lukas is screaming because he’s not getting buckled fast enough, two kids are arguing over a seat in the van, Andrew and I just climb in the front and look at each other.

Off we go. On the way down the driveway Andrew hits the soft snow on the side of the driveway and digs into the ditch a bit. No worries, we made it. But from that point on the speedometer shakes back and forth. Oh well, Bertha is ancient, what can we expect.

We had a nice drive to the tree farm after that. Other than the “how much longer” repeated from the back row.

Now, to find a tree. The nice young man told us we find the size we want to the right. So we trudge off through the snow in search of the perfect tree. It was truly a beautiful morning and everyone was dressed well for the cold. The sun was shining and there was no wind. We head in one direction but Andrew isn’t happy with any of the trees so we head off in the opposite direction. Pretty soon Lukas is lagging behind. At one point I look back to see him just laying in the snow. I encourage him on and we catch up. David has found a tree he thinks will work perfectly but Andrew and the older kids are already way up ahead looking at another batch. Nope, none of those are sufficient.

“Let’s go to the other field,” Andrew suggests. The other half of the farm is on the other side of the parking lot. So off we go. As we reach the parking lot and cross over, Schwabs start to fall off the train. I look back and there’s a trail of Schwabs in the snow. Little dead Schwabs. Lukas, then 20 feet later Jacob. Another 10 feet down the row lies David. And near me is Heidi, curled in the fetal position under a tree.

Meanwhile, the older kids and Andrew are at the end of a long row. I decide I better just stand in the vicinity of the fallen Schwabs, so there I am, stuck between the moaning children and the children on a mission.

Turns out there weren’t any good trees on that side either.

Back to the other side. The teens and Andrew race ahead as I encourage the lumps on the ground to get up and come along. We make it to the parking area where Lukas kneels down in the gravel, lifts his head, and yells at the top of his lungs, “THIS IS THE WORST DAY EVER!!!”

At this point, I lost it. I started laughing so hard! I just couldn’t contain myself. It was utter chaos. Lukas laid in the snow and I stood in the parking lot and we just hung out until the rest of the family came back, thankfully, mercifully, carrying a tree.

Homeward bound.

Fast forward to Monday evening when we decide to decorate the tree. It’s not a very big tree so decisions had to be made about which ornaments could be hung. Andrew and I sit in our camping chairs while the kids make decisions and start to hang ornaments.

First, a glass owl hits the floor and shatters. Commence sobbing by said child. Next Captain America hits the floor and his arms go sailing off. Dad to the rescue with super glue.

Meanwhile, the 2 year old is taking the ornaments back off the tree and running off with them, the 4 year old is leaping the ornament piles on the floor while the older ones are shouting at him to stop, 2 kids have started a Nerf gun war (obviously in the same room), and the phone is ringing.

You can’t make this stuff up. I looked at Andrew and sighed, “maybe we should have put them all to bed and decorated ourselves.”

Let’s not forget, the tree is in the middle of a construction zone.

Later, when the tree was lit and decorated, the kids started commenting on how pretty it was and how they loved decorating it. I’m not sure what part they loved! But, hey, if the memory for them is good, it was all worth it!

I for one, look at the tree and chuckle every time, thinking back to all the chaos it took just to put up a tree.

Names of Jesus

Christmas season is upon us!

Andrew and I have asked each other numerous times over the past month, how is it the end of the year? How did it all go by so quickly? And now we have to think of Christmas?

I love Christmas and I’ve grown to love it more every year. I love the lights and decorations, although this year we haven’t decorated much yet with all the remodeling going on.

I really love picking out gifts for my kids and friends. I’m a gift giver at heart. I love to think about what a person needs or would like. I love to wrap it and hand it to them. I love to see their joy if I’ve done a good job. And it’s impossible for me to stay within budget. Sorry, hon.

The gifts have had to find strange places to live as I wrap them. We don’t even have a tree yet!

What I love most of all, though, about this season is setting our hearts and minds on Jesus. I know there are a lot of people in this world today who don’t know or love Jesus. I know there are a lot of people in this world today who have been hurt by people who claim to be Christian. I know there are a lot of people in this world who choose to live by their own truths, standards, and beliefs.

But as for me and my house…

I’m sure many look at us as strange and different. They probably don’t know what to do with us. By most people’s reactions to our family I’m sure they are stupefied.

Ah, but wasn’t Jesus strange and different. He sure ruffled a few feathers when he walked this earth. He’s still ruffling feathers. And if you don’t seem strange or odd or different from the culture, why not? Has He, the Savior, changed you? Have you allowed Him to?

This Christmas season is the perfect time to dig into that. How can I reflect on Jesus and open my heart to Him in such a way that I am changed? How can I point my kids towards the One who can heal, fill the holes in their heart, and change them for the better?

While I love the lights and gifts and anticipation on the Christmas season, I hope my kids see deeper than all those things. I pray they see The True Love, The Eternal Light, The Perfect Gift. I hope I see Him and can focus on Him more than everything else!

This year we’re studying the names of Jesus, one each day leading up to Christmas. It’s been so joy-filled everyday so far and we all look forward to learning a new name each day.

I purchased this from Lacewing Creative.

Not only is it pointing our hearts and minds towards the real reason for the season but it’s becoming a beautiful Christmas decoration for our unfinished living room too!

In whatever way you celebrate the season, I hope and pray you take time to reflect on Jesus and who He is, what He’s done for you, and how He can change you! We wouldn’t even have this amazing holiday without Him!

20 Minute Accomplishment

Well, we’ve been just a little busy here. School is in full swing, on top of cleaning out the garden, house remodel projects and the regular day to day life. Plus four of the kids are in a play so practices consume a lot of time.

In the midst of it all, there’s all those mini projects that come along, and, really get set aside. It’s funny how a project that would take 20 minutes ends up taking 4 months!

For instance, I had decided to have a master garden plan framed on the wall with an upcoming garden plan below it so I could plan where next year’s plants would go. I LOVE planning. Yet, the frames and plans sat for months.

Finally yesterday it was cool and rainy and I pulled out the plans and frames. And guess what?! It took 20 minutes! Honestly, it gave me the best feeling! I still walk in the office to look at it and enjoy it!

It’s going to be so handy when I’m planning what and where to plant! I’ve already jotted things down on it in color coded notes.

Here’s my encouragement to you! Grab one of those 20 minute projects laying around your house and just do it! You feel so accomplished and free once it’s done. And it’ll probably make life easier in some way!

Now on to the big projects…

Crazy Summer Recap

Well, it’s been a hot minute since I’ve been on here. It’s been a summer for the books! I think I just needed to process all the things and couldn’t quite put them into words.

First, we decided to start a CSA. Well, to be honest God decided we should. And that came with a while host of troubles. We had to prepare the area by ruling and discing, which a farmer friend was so kind to do for us. Then we had to lay cardboard with mulch and paper with soil. We spent days and days on it. And then we still had to plant! Meanwhile we got hit by a nasty storm that we think included a tornado. So our house needed new siding and roofing. And, we decided since we were doing all that we might as well replace windows. And since larger windows were going in the two living rooms, we decided to gut those two rooms and remodel them the way we have always wanted to. Sounds like if you give a mouse a cookie, right?

That wasn’t all for the spring. One of our oldest was getting married in May so there was wedding prep happening too. And our other oldest was preparing to leave for the Marines. Just a few things going on.

One thing that just takes the cake in the midst of all this, was the fact that the day of the rehearsal for the wedding, a local Ag sprayed the field adjacent to our property. It was an extremely windy day and the wind was blowing right at us. Everything on our property got hit by Round Up and another weed killer called Vector. We didn’t know it that morning but the days later when the weeds in the field were turning brown, everything on our farm was turning brown and crispy. And when I say everything, I mean everything. Our orchard, the CSA garden, our herb garden, my flowers by the house, my elderberry bushes on the opposite side of the property, my raspberries behind the garage, everything. It was devastating and I spent a lot of time and money starting things over in the garden and praying over the rest of the property. Things have slowly recovered but we don’t have apples or pears this year because of it. And someone who runs an orchard said it could be the years before our trees fully recover. It still hasn’t been resolved by the Ag, so pray they make it right.

So, now, suddenly the summer has flown by. I’ve spent countless hours in the garden tending to everything. We’ve had squash vine borers, cucumber beetles, squash bugs, grasshoppers, cabbage worms, blossom end rot, powdery mildew, fungus, lack of water, flooding… you name it. Sometimes I can’t even bring myself to walk to the garden and see what’s happening next!

And, the garden is now going crazy! It can take us two to three hours as a family to harvest everything. And then we have to separate and get things ready for pick up evenings. It’s more than a full time job! And I’m still bringing plenty in the house to can and freeze so we have good food all winter. There’s always a bin of veggies sitting in the kitchen waiting to be processed.

And, let’s not forget that the house needed to be fixed. So, we’ve been siding and installing new windows for the last month and aren’t even half way! You never really know how huge your house is until you have to side every square inch of it. The last few days the roofers have been here. They are hard workers and I’m thankful they are doing it and not us! That roof is a long way up there and it’s steep!

While all the tasks are happening, there’s relationships to be worked on, so to be planned for, and food to make (these people in my house eat A LOT).

Let’s add that my grandma passed away recently and we’ve been getting ready to celebrate her life. Have you ever had to decide whether to tell your son his great grandma died and deciding it’s best to wait until he’s done with boot camp? There’s other things too, I can’t even list them all.

At this point, I’m exhausted just listing all these things. I have no idea why God has handed us this cup this year.

But I do know He can be trusted. I do know He is good. I do know He is faithful and will NEVER leave us nor forsake us.

Often, we simply can’t understand what’s happening, even when we sit and analyze it. Even when we ask God why? In those moments we have a choice. We can be frustrated, complain, and grow bitter. We can choose to get angry at God or the situation around us.

Or we can choose faith. Isn’t that what faith is? Trusting our good and loving Father even when we don’t understand? It isn’t easy, but we can make the choice.

A friend of mine said to me recently, “you’re handling all this really well”. It got me thinking as to why? I think it’s this very thing. I’m making choices daily to be thankful and focus on the good. Because there has been so much good this summer too!

God moved in some mysterious ways this summer and yet when I look at it I can see His abundant grace and blessings in it! For instance, before it all went down, a dear friend called and said, “so I think the Lord is telling me to move in with you for June and July. Can I?” It’s now mid August and the Lord hasn’t told her to move so she’s still blessing us. I didn’t know I’d need her, she didn’t know she’d need us, but here we are thoroughly enjoying each other’s company and working alongside each other!

Pulling siding off, we found plenty of rot and windows installed incorrectly so water was just leaking behind them for 30 years! Thank the Lord we had to do this project and could find those issues before they became really huge problems! Even the roof had gaps and holes so they redecked the whole thing. By the time we’re done, we’re going to have what feels like a very snug new house!

Even though it’s been hard to process two kids growing up and launching, it’s been such a blessing to watch them find their path in life and really walk with the Lord in the way He wants them to. I can see His grace and mercy on their lives over and over and it’s heart warming.

We watched prayer heal our property too! We had so many people praying and plants we thought were completely dead are flourishing and producing! Many have said none of those plants should have survived and yet they are doing great!

So, in the midst of trials I’ll choose praise…

O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure.
Isaiah 25:1

In the midst of uncertainty I’ll choose trust…

Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.
Proverbs 16:3

Dream God’s Dreams

My “bud” left this week. It’s been a hard couple of weeks. Leading up to him leaving, I kept thinking how it couldn’t be possible that it was approaching so fast. Then, all of a sudden, it was Monday and we had to say goodbye!

Part of me thinks, how silly that I’m sad! It’s only 13 weeks and he’ll be back. Yet, it’s so much more than just the 13 weeks. He’s not just on a trip or off to college where he could still text me and call me. He gets zero access to phones or computers the entire time, unless he earns a phone call.

The other part of it is that it’s something so huge and so hard! He’s going to what they say is the second most difficult boot camp behind Navy SEAL training. He’s going to be pushed beyond his limits daily in so many capacities. In fact, one of the ways he can earn a phone call is if he knocks another person out in one of the challenges!

I’ve been pondering all week what to say about all this. It’s been on my mind a lot, of course. And I vacillate between being so proud of and excited for him and being so sad he’s gone.

So here’s where my thoughts have landed this week.

First, we raise our kids to leave the nest. All the time, energy, tears, laughter, yelling (cuz let’s be real – there’s yelling), praying…it’s all so they can be amazing adults who can stand on their own in this crazy world! While my heart has been heavy this week, I’ve also felt such peace because this is exactly what I’ve wanted for him all along. He’s doing it! He’s adulting!

Second, Isaiah has inspired me. From the time he was little he’s told me, I’m going to travel the world and probably be in the army. Well, it’s close to true. He’s decided Marines and he’ll have to opportunity to travel all over. He’s been actively pursuing this specific dream for 2 years and what else would I want for him than to go for it! He’s inspiring me to pick up my dreams and pursue them. Push for what God is calling you to!

Third, I couldn’t be more proud of both my boys! They have both pursued God’s calling in their lives this summer. Those callings look so different and yet are both so good. Encourage your kids to follow what God has for them, whether it’s near or far. I don’t ever want to hinder my kids by telling them they have to stay close by or can only pursue certain things. I tell them to seek God and His plan and then go for it!

Lastly, while my mama heart grieves, I’m surrounding myself with people who are supportive and caring. I’ve allowed myself to cry and sleep in a bit and have the iced coffee drink. We aren’t losing it if we cry. We aren’t a mess if we’re sad. It’s ok to have those emotions too and while it’s not comfortable, I’ve given myself the space and opportunity to feel those things.

I told Isaiah on Monday, “Go! Have your adventure! Just don’t forget God!”

“Thanks, Mom. It’s gonna be ok.” He replied. Then I hugged him until he was annoyed, then hugged him one more time and made it to the car before I sobbed. I’ve got the countdown on the wall and have already written a letter to him (even though I don’t have the address yet). At the same time I’m so excited for him and so thankful he is pursuing God’s dream for his life!

Garden and Trust

The last month has been one of the most taxing and one of the most rewarding all at the same time. I’ve pushed myself harder physically, emotionally, and mentally than I have in a long time. And it feels good! It also hurts…a lot!

Last summer, God gave Andrew a vision to start a CSA garden on our property. When he came home and told me about it, I was skeptical to say the least. He was so excited and all I could think was, I didn’t hear that from the Lord! But over the next three weeks God clearly confirmed it to me and I caught the excitement.

Over the years of our marriage we’ve learned the hard way that if God speaks and we don’t listen there are consequences. Sometimes those consequences are really hard to take and make for very difficult times in our lives, sometimes it’s simply a removal of blessing. Either way, we’ve come to discover that it’s a whole lot better when we obey. It may not be an easy road, but there are abundant blessings on it!

So we chose to obey. We’ve been at work all winter researching and learning. We chose a no till, no dig gardening method to transform our pasture into a workable plot. The reason we chose that is because the grass is so think in the pasture that we knew we’d be fighting a losing battle all summer if we didn’t do something at the outset to combat the grass. And we definitely didn’t want to spray harsh chemicals.

One thing we’ve learned over the last few months is there is so much we can’t control. We can’t make spring come faster, no matter how much we want it to, we can’t make the rain hold off until we’re done setting all our plots, we can’t make the sun stay up longer, we can’t force our bodies beyond a certain point, we don’t even have control over when the seeds sprout.

I don’t think we could have imagined how difficult this process was going to be! And I’m thankful God didn’t reveal that part to us! He has been so faithful to give us strength and stamina for the day and has helped us to not worry about tomorrow.

He also provided in a big and unexpected way, like He’s so good to do! A month ago, a good friend called and asked if she could move in with us for a couple months. “You’ve got a bedroom free, I hear.”

We’ve lovingly dubbed her our “bonus adult” and I’m telling you, if you have a large family and God gives you a big vision, you just plain and simply need a bonus adult. God is doing a big work in her life this year and I hope and pray we can support and encourage her while she’s with us. And I’m so thankful she’s willing to jump in on our crazy adventures.

I knew this was going to be hard, especially on my out of shape body! But I had no idea how difficult it would be spiritually. There are so many things you can’t control when it comes to gardening! And I’m seeing how little trust I have in God. I’ve had to come face to face with my lack of trust, repent and all the Lord’s help over and over. I’ve had to walk myself through past experiences where the Lord has proven faithful and remind my heart and mind that He is still faithful. He has been growing my faith so much in the midst of this!

I’ve also been surprised at who is for us and who is against us. We’ve had so many amazing people support us and pray for us and walk with us. We’ve had people come and spend a day here working with us to help us accomplish this vision. And we’ve had those who tell us to quit and that is never going to work. Even in that we just have to keep going back to God and confirming that He wants us on this path. And He’s so good to do that every time!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

Finished product photos to come!

Compliments

“You’re beautiful!”

“You are so smart!”

“I love that idea.”

“You do a great job!”

What are these? Compliments, obviously, right? When we hear a genuine compliment we smile, we feel good, we appreciate it. Compliments that are genuine and true build us up and encourage us. They cast away doubts and fill us with hope. A simple but genuine compliment can go a long way.

Recently I was in Aldi, where I seem to find myself a lot, and I walked down an aisle where another lady was shopping. She had on a pretty summer dress so I said, “I like your dress. You look great.” I’ll never forget the look on her face. She was surprised at first and then smiled brightly. It was simple, quick, and took nothing from me, yet it brightened her day.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot because I’ve heard a few criticisms disguised as compliments lately and I think it needs to be pointed out. Here are a few I’ve heard lately…

“I’m in awe of you. I just don’t know how you do it. You do so many things and are always running. I’d just be exhausted and not able to keep up. I definitely couldn’t do it.”

At first it seems like a compliment. But, it left me feeling knocked down. Part of it was the tone, almost a bit of scoff in the midst of it. Part of it is the way the person tuned it back to all about herself. The underlying message here is I don’t really approve of how busy you are and the decisions you’ve made for your family.

If you find yourself, like I did after this comment, feeling like you need to defend whatever it is they commented on, it wasn’t a compliment.

“I can’t believe you drive your kids into town daily for band. You sure run a lot. That’s nice of you. I’d never want to be trapped in that.”

Again, not a compliment. It’s really a criticism of one person’s choices and a belief that there’s a better choice to make. I felt the need to defend my choice once again and was left wondering if I had made a bad decision.

Words matter. They touch someone deeply, whether in a good or bad way. Your passive-aggressive comments hurt people. Plain and simple.

The old adage, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all” holds some truth. Sometimes we do have to speak truth and that can be painful in the moment but helpful in the long run. But hurtful or underhanded comments are never necessary!

“An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.” Proverbs 12:25

“Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” Proverbs 16:24

Look at how powerful words are! You can cheer up someone anxious, you can be sweet as honey to someone’s soul, you can heal! With words!

I challenge you today and this whole week, to give genuine compliments. Really and truly speak encouragement and life to others’ souls. You’ll be amazed at how good it makes you feel too!

Precious Time

Three weeks. My son gets married the weeks from today.

That really hit me yesterday. Hard.

I’ve been blessed to have him in my house for almost 21 years and watched him grow into an amazing man with a compassionate heart, gentle spirit, and sweet disposition. He has a great sense of humor and is so smart, especially when it comes to tearing things apart and fixing them.

He’s a man of few words, especially when there’s a crowd. But early in the morning, when the sun is just peeking through my kitchen window and the house is quiet, he talks. Usually it’s just he and I in the kitchen getting ready for the day. I’ll ask him what he has going on at school or what plans are taking shape for the wedding. It doesn’t matter so much what we talk about, just that we connect.

I’m the type of person who doesn’t want to talk to anyone or really see anyone early in the morning. I actually like that my hubby is gone early because he loves to talk right away! I like my quiet in the mornings. I know what’s coming… noise, questions, screaming from the the year old, chores, meals, running errands. It’s all good and I love my life, but being an introvert in a house of 13 people, I need a little quiet in my day.

But these mornings with just Samuel have become so precious to me. Maybe because I know they are limited and then his sweet bride gets these mornings. I’m more than happy to give him up to her; she’s amazing. It’s just a huge change and it’s hard.

But I think an even greater reason I’ve been cherubim these mornings, is that I am learning slowly but surely that my relationship with my kids is paramount. It’s more important than anything else I work on with my kids.

When Samuel and Isaiah were little my relationship with them wasn’t foremost for me. My to-do list was. Getting school checked off was. Making sure they obeyed was. And I hurt our relationship because of that.

Thanks be to God that He worked on my heart and restored our relationship despite my best efforts to damage it! I haven’t arrived yet but I’m learning and eager to do better with my younger kids.

I always tell Samuel and Isaiah that I messed up more with them than I ever will with the subsequent kids. We laugh about it but it’s probably true and I’ve asked their forgiveness for many things. But I can look back and see that it’s ok that I messed up because God is bigger than all my mess ups! He has taught and led Samuel all these years to right here.

I’m so proud of him and so thankful for his wonderful bride. I’m praising God in the midst of all the swirl of emotions that they have each other and that Samuel is the amazing man God wants him to be. I’ll cherish my last few precious mornings.

Yesterday morning I told Samuel with tears, “I’m going to miss these mornings with you.”

“I’m still going to be around, mom,” was his reply.

“I know, but it won’t be the same.”

“Yeah, I know, but I’m not going very far.”

Three weeks.

Spring has sprung??

I’ve been just itching to get in the garden for about a month. I know, I know, I shouldn’t live in Minnesota if I want to garden that early! But here we are anyway. I’m wishing and hoping and watching snow fall and rain pour, and tornadoes whiz by.

Today was the first nice day in a long time and I decided that even though I can’t garden yet, there’s plenty to do outside! I never did get to my orchard in March when I wanted to, so I started pruning today. Boy, am I out of shape! Somebody please be my work out buddy next winter so I don’t hurt so bad in the spring!!

They aren’t finished yet, because, well, I’m out of shape. But it’s a good start! Do I know how to prune? Hmm, no idea. I’ve watched videos and read articles and watched more videos. Then I just started trying things out. So far my trees haven’t died on me so I think I’m doing ok!

If I’m honest, I remind myself of my Opa. He’s was my mom’s dad and lived in Germany. He’s been gone for 14 years now, but right up until he died he was learning. If he was interested in something he got books about it and tried it out. He was a prisoner of war in Texas during WWII and became fascinated with learning to speak English and America. His whole life after that he was reading books in English, listening to American news, and visiting the US. He loved to learn. I’ve discovered that love in myself since homeschooling my kids. I probably love it more than they do!

Someone else discovered a new love! Dottie found a puddle and hesitating tested it with a foot, found it splashed, and ended up sitting in it splashing and laughing. Needless to say, she needed a bath!

I decided to try something new today too. Last summer my beloved tart cherry tree tumbled in a storm. It grew new shoots and I kept one out there hoping it will grow and be a cherry tree. I took some cutting and am attempting to root them with rooting compound. We’ll see what happens, but why not try! If I end up with THREE cherry trees I’ll be thrilled. My kids may leave me though as they have to pit all those tiny cherries!

Tomorrow looks rainy and windy again so I’ll be inside wishing I could be in the garden again! I told Andrew today I think Minnesota forgot to take her Prozac! It’ll come, it always does, but it always feels like it takes forever to get here! Come on, true spring!!

Like A Seed

Every time I look at these tiny seeds I am in awe! This teeny tiny thing has everything inside it to become the exact plant it was created to be. These happen to be broccoli seeds and the ones we planted are already coming up!

Maybe I’m weird, but when I see seed packet displays in the stores with all their beautiful colors and bright photos of vegetables I get giddy! I’ve always thought of summer as my favorite season, but I think it’s actually spring. There’s so much hope, anticipation, and potential future in spring.

Everything starts to wake up, including me, after a long winter! If you don’t live in the northern states, you’re missing out! I despise winter, especially the frigid, blustery winter in Minnesota, but I think if I didn’t have to go through it I wouldn’t appreciate and love spring like I do!

Plus, Andrew just informed me of a new spider the size of a man’s hand that’s invaded the southern states, so moving is out. Guess I’ll just have to suck it up and endure winter here.

Back to those seeds. Just think about it. That broccoli seed is a little bigger than a pin head and all we did was drop it in some soil, watered it, and put some lights on. Then the miracle happened! It sprouted!

Every time I start my own seeds, I go anxiously every morning to water them, fretting over whether they’ll actually sprout! I can guarantee my fretting doesn’t help them grow. I pray over them and talk to them while I water. And they just do what they’re supposed to do! And guess what? Every time I plant a broccoli seed, a broccoli plant comes up. And every time I plant a tomato seed, a tomato plant comes up.

Maybe I’m the only one. But seriously, every spring I feel this elation! Color is returning, smells are returning, I can feel the sun again!

When I think of those seeds and how they have everything inside them to become a beautiful, perfect plant that gives us vegetables, I think of how our society tells us,

“You have everything inside you to become whatever you want”

“you have what it takes”

“you’ve got the strength inside you to overcome”.

Unlike those seeds, we don’t have what we need inside of us to become who we want. You’ve heard the phrase “follow your heart” but that’s the biggest lie of the age. We have a deceitful heart above all else.

And what does it mean to be deceived? It means we’re being lied to and have no idea because the lies look so good and true and shiny and attractive, when in reality they are hollow, dreary, lonely dead ends.

So, how do we become who we were meant to be? A little water, soil, and light? Well, maybe.

Water for plants causes growth. We can grow from the living water of Jesus. The water from His well that causes us to never thirst again. We can be watered by reading his Word daily and hiding it away in that deceitful heart to flush out all the lies.

Soil for plants gives nourishment. We can be nourished by being planted firmly in a body of believers, praying, worshiping, eating, and studying together. Being in a solid body of believers causes us to examine and see our deceitful heart for what it is and sand away those rough spots.

Light for plants gives energy. We get our energy and motivation from the Holy Spirit. You’ll never feel more energized than when you are in line with the Holy Spirit and surrendering your life to Jesus.

While it might be easier for those teeny tiny seeds to become what they were created to be, we can do it too! If we’ve accepted what Jesus has done on the cross for us and asked him to come into our lives and we are truly willing to surrender all, we can grow into exactly what we were created to be!