How Does Your Garden Grow

One thing that I struggle with is, I want to grow so badly that I try to make myself grow. I think, “I’m doing all the things, Lord.” Like, "Here I am Lord. I’m doin’ all the stuff. Make me grow…" *tap, tap, tap, goes my foot…*

I’m like a kid who plants a seed in a Styrofoam cup and overwaters it in an attempt to force it to grow. Who gets up every morning to go see how much it has changed, and frustrated because it doesn’t seem like a whole ‘lot is changing. During my barn time this morning, God brought all this to my mind and He said, “Wheat doesn’t grow because it tries to. It doesn’t grow because of the force of its own will.” And He’s right. He’s so right.

Wheat doesn’t grow because it makes itself grow. Wheat does not plant itself and it does not grow because of an effort of its own will. Wheat grows because it has been planted by something else. It grows because of forces beyond its control—yielding to the light of the sun, drinking deeply of the water provided by the one who planted it. Yet, even though the wheat yields and drinks, its growing and maturing does not happen because the wheat has decided that it will happen. It happens because forces beyond its control are working together to bring it to maturity.

Another thing that the Lord reminded me of today, is that you can’t actually watch wheat grow in real-time. Wheat cannot “watch” itself grow. Day after day, wheat yields to the sun and day after day, it drinks of the water, and slowly but imperceptibly, the wheat changes. Little by little, day by day. The only way wheat can see its own growth is by looking back at where it once was, in comparison to where it is now. Growth is only perceived by a critical mass of change.
This is our truth, beloved. We have been planted by the Lord, and it is His seed which has been planted within us. It is His light to which we yield and it is His wellspring of Living Water from which we drink. And we do not grow because we try so very hard to grow. We grow because of Him Who is both the sower and the grower.

(1 Cor 3:6,7) I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, Who makes things grow.

(Mark 4:26-29) And He was saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know. The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

(Matthew 13:24-30) Jesus presented another parable to them saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat…when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident…the slaves said..”Do you want us..to..gather them up?” But he said, “No, for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest, I will say to the reapers, ‘First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.’”

(Matthew 3:11,12) I baptize you with water for repentance, but after me will come One more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear His threshing floor and to gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

(Posted on Facebook 12/5/2020 Talitha Koum)