During these uncertain times of COVID-19 and Shelter in Place, I want to share this post from June of 2013 which deals with problems and emotions getting the best of us. I hope it encourages you and helps you find better, more faith-filled ways to cope with strong emotions.
“Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you.” (Hosea 10:12)
Planting Season
The time of year has begun when gardens are planted and the earth springs forth with new life. Each spring my husband faithfully begins to cultivate the ground for his planting. I watch him from our deck as he marks off his garden area, cleans out the old remnants of last year’s garden, and begins to plow the ground in order to make it ready to receive the fertile seed.
As the earth turns over and over I remember the godly ladies who joined me in Bible study as we dealt with our fearful and untamed hearts. God began His work in us. He plowed up the hard places and revealed hidden emotions that corrupted our thinking and our fruitfulness.
Caring for Our Heart Gardens
Each week we pulled weeds together as we worked through the our struggles. Some of us pulled weeds of worry and doubt. Others pulled weeds of perplexity and confusion in understanding God’s will. Still others pulled weeds of the everyday cares of life.
With the plow of God’s word we turned over rocks that lay just below the surface of our hearts. Rocks we didn’t realize were there. Rocks of unforgiveness. Rocks of anger. Rocks of impatience. Rocks of guilt and shame. Sometimes we hit deeply embedded roots from our sinful nature. Personality quirks that stopped the progress of the plow. Together we worked to chopped them back and pulled them away.
When we began our Bible study, I wanted a single reminder of our journey together so I created a white board marked ‘Before and After.’ Our ‘before’ pictures depicted our inability to deal with common emotions God’s way.
Growing in the Light
Some of us became more aware of our hidden emotions as we worked through each session. We had accepted our emotional responses as who we were, and we really didn’t see them through the eyes of God. Our study together helped us to re-think our emotions and re-think how we respond to perceived challenges.
Do we build walls?
Are we explode at the slightest provocation?
Do we hide and stuff our feelings?
Are we stuck on a carousal of raw emotions repeating the same cycle over and over?
Do we really want to come to the end of our lives never overcoming these hindrances?
The answers came differently to each of us. But we all answered a resounding, “No” to allowing our lives to be ruled by unchecked emotions.
“Remember, feelings are indicators, not dictators. They can indicate there is a situation I need to deal with, but they shouldn’t dictate how I react. I have a choice.” (Unglued, Lysa Terkeurst)
Yielding Good Fruit
Breaking up the unplowed places of our hearts can be painful. If we endure the pain, God can work and sow his fertile seed within our souls. From that seed springs a fruitful life offered back to God in praise for his unfailing love.
As the growing season progresses let us choose to act God’s way and not react in raw emotion. Even when our progress is ‘imperfect’, always remember it is progress nonetheless.
Oh, by the way, here’s a sampling of our “After” pictures in answer to the question: What would you like your life to say to those around you?:
“Love will get you through”
“Strength thru His strength, not mine”
Phil. 4:15
“O, Lord, help me to be your servant.”
“Kind, tenderhearted, forgiving”
Eph. 4:32
Mt. 22:37-39
Hi Carla, I hope you and your family are well. I enjoyed this lesson. God has blessed you richly with the gift of teaching and understanding His word. I think of you often and the time we spent in Bible study. May God continue to bless you and keep you in his care.
Carla, I enjoyed your garden analogy and loved this sentence: “He plowed up the hard places and revealed hidden emotions that corrupted our thinking and our fruitfulness.” I’m thankful God reveals hidden problems. How wonderful that your group members could work together to strengthen each other!
Your analogy of the garden (plowing, weeding, etc.) is a very apt application to our own journey to grow in our relationship with Jesus. Nature can teach us many valuable lessons if we just observe, listen, and learn. My husband and I have gardened for nearly 40 years, but he is unable to this year. I miss it.
I use that quote from Lysa TerKeurst all the time! We do need to weed our heart gardens and examine our thoughts and feelings in light of God’s truths! Thanks for sharing.
Wonderful truths Ms. Carla. As a farmer/rancher, the things (plants or animals) we grow always require preparation, maintenance, care, and feeding ma’am. Growing our faith requires those same things my friend. Very apropos analogy ma’am. Well done!