As autumn is preparing to gift us with the presence of winter, I start to reflect on the harvest that my small garden produced and received a quiet yet powerful lesson from God about my own spiritual garden and what it means to produce a spiritual harvest.
Last summer I decided to grow my own vegetables. I've been volunteering at community gardens for quite some time and decided to see what I can produce planting my own seeds now that I had my own backyard. I was also embarking on a new lifestyle of becoming a vegetarian and wanted to plant vegetables that will make for a fresh garden salad.
My first year starting as a novice green thumb, I decided to cultivate a small garden and invest in a 48 in x 7.5 in raised garden bed that didn't require me to break through the ground. After receiving some advice from members of the community garden, I went out and purchased some soil and decided on spinach, beets, and cucumbers as the vegetables I would test my green thumb with. I followed the directions on the back of the seed packets and made sure I tended to those seeds throughout the whole spring and summer season. As summer came to an end and autumn was approaching, I noticed my harvest came; and what a bountiful harvest it was. Everything I sowed; I was able to reap. I felt accomplished about actually doing something I said I was going to do. It was definitely giving 'I said what I said' vibes.
This summer however, I may have gotten a little too ambitious because I decided I was going to now grow some watermelons. I've never grown a watermelon nor even seen a watermelon patch; but optimistically proceeded to plant watermelon seeds, along with some Swiss chard, beets, cucumbers and green peppers.
According to the back of the seed packet for watermelons it was suggested that you plant the seeds six to seven feet apart and start planting during early March to ensure you picked a harvest of watermelons by mid-September or early October. Little Miss Ambitious, decides she's going to plant two watermelons in late April early May in a small garden bed and still expect two juicy watermelons by the month of September.
The watermelons never arrived. The other plants except the green peppers came in. And just when it started to get cold, and I thought the season for growing anything was surely over; four small green peppers came that I was able to chop up and cook with our family dinner. They didn't grow in as big as I expected but they grew.... (a win is a win)
I believe we too are like gardens. Our thoughts and ideas are like seeds that we plant within this space, which is made up of the substance of God. This spiritual body is where we are able to connect with divine inspiration and bring forth new creations.
If the soil of our garden is our subconscious mind, then in order to cultivate a bountiful spiritual garden, we must tend to the thoughts and ideas we plant within it, and nurture them with love and care, which in turn will yield beautiful and meaningful creations that mirror the goodness and beauty of God's original purpose and plans for us.
At this moment you have just the right mindset and enough tools and resources for certain ideas and with the right support, consistency, creativity, discipline and time you will be able to see a harvest in due season. Then you have ideas that you've planted and watered but haven't seen any signs of growth, so you're starting to become discouraged but just when you think you've ran out of time or your season is over, God will reveal a small enough harvest that gives you hope and Godfidence (confidence and faith in God) to keep you going; it may not arrive when you expect it, but it's always on time; just like the small green peppers in my garden that came a little later in the season.
You also have big dreams and lofty ideas, but may not be mentally, emotionally, and spiritually ready or have the right heart posture to reap and carry them in this season; and just like the watermelons I tried to plant, you may need more space to grow and heal before you can see a harvest. It's not that you don't deserve it or that you won't receive it, it's just you need to develop and become the person who can carry all that comes with it.
You are sitting on million-dollar ideas but may have a penny mindset. You're so used to giving a penny for your thoughts or adding your two cents that you start to believe that's all you're worth. The scripture “what you believe will be added to you” from the book of Mark, reminds us that the measure of faith we have will determine the measure of blessings we receive. The more you believe, the more you will receive, but you actually have to believe it before you see it, not the other way around. And guess what love you don't have to have big faith; In the parable about the mustard seed, Yeshua reminds us that "the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade". All you need is belief and faith as little as a mustard seed.
Your subconscious mind is like soil, and it influences 90% of your life because it also houses your deep-rooted beliefs, and you behave according to your beliefs. Soil's primary purpose is to grow whatever is planted within it. Whether poisonous poison ivy seeds or seeds from a healing aloe vera plant are planted. It will grow it. Your subconscious mind is no different, that's why you must be intentional on what thoughts, ideas, words, images, people, places and etc., you accept and feed your heart which influences your image-nation. You have the power to accept or reject these things as they come to you.
How are you then able to get rid of the tares and weeds that may have grown in your spiritual garden already due to trauma, pain, hurt, disappointment, fear, manipulation, betrayal, etc.? Through consistent and intentional repetition of planting good seeds. What are good seeds? Anything that helps nurture and water the soil of your subconscious mind and opens your heart. Good seeds grow into good harvests and produce good fruit, good emotions, good thoughts, good decisions and good experiences that you get to share with others. You get to decide as a spiritual guard-inner what seeds to plant. You are a gardener, guarding what passes through your five gates (five senses). These gates protect your spirit, mind, heart and soul, these gates protect your inner man or woman that is planted in your Garden of Eden. Good seeds can be prayer, affirmations, reading things that help you grow, exercising, eating healthy, surrounding yourself with people that help you become better, meditation, attending workshops and conferences, creating something, helping others, adopting a spirit of forgiveness, setting healthy boundaries with loved ones, walking in your strengths, life and health coaching, laughing and so many other positive and uplifting things.
You get to decide what is good seeds for you and you also get to plant those seeds into the soil of your garden, and water them so you can produce a bountiful harvest. Your harvest is the result of God's work in your heart and signifies the end of one cycle and the beginning of another. It's a moment to let go of things that no longer serve you while creating room for new opportunities. It's important to also take stock of your life to ensure that all your actions align with your values and goals. Harvest time may be a time of repose, rejuvenation and reflection on the past season, and also a chance to celebrate all that you have accomplished while sharing the fruits of your labor with others. Your harvest also can involve releasing any emotions such as anger or resentment that may be hindering your peace of mind. By forgiving yourself and others for past mistakes, betrayals and disappointments, you can move on from them and avoid carrying the burden of these mistakes, betrayals and disappointments with you to your next season.
What does a spiritual garden and spiritual harvest mean for you?
I went through a few isolated seasons of uprooting the tares in my garden to replant more positive seeds and cultivate a more fertile soil needed to achieve long standing goals and deepen my relationship with God. I know the struggle that comes with constantly trying to choose good seeds in a society that subliminally and blatantly plants negative seeds that can keep you in a spirit of unforgiveness, fear, worry, doubt, insecurity, shame, chaos and confusion. These are all postures of the heart that can block your blessings and block God from moving freely through you. You can and WILL start to cultivate your garden but understand this is an ongoing journey and process because each day and every second of your life you must choose good seeds and consistently water those seeds.
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