Flourish

Flourish

The godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon. . . . Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green.

WE WERE ONLY GONE FOR A WEEK, but it had been hot and muggy, the kind of weather better suited for late July than late June in my part of the country. As I stepped out the back door and turned the corner on my path through the flower bed, my eyes grew momentarily wide and round.

“Whoa!” I exclaimed to no one in particular. “What happened?” Quickening my pace, I opened the garden gate to investigate.

What had only a week ago been my tidy and sedate vegetable plot had turned into a jungle. Cucumber tendrils had wiggled several feet over into my tomatoes, twining up and around the tomato trellis instead of their own. The pumpkin was a monster, its huge leaves and vining stems threatening to consume the entire garden. The lettuce varieties had gone rogue—bolting several feet into the air as they flowered and started to seed.

As I poked and prodded, nibbling on pea pods that dangled enticingly from their vines, I marveled at the sudden verdant growth. And then I remembered, it was approximately two weeks since I’d brought home a new fertilizer, spreading it liberally among my tiny plants, wondering if it would give them a boost since I’d been a weekend late in getting everything planted.

I think-talk to God as I garden, and as I gently tamed the cukes and redirected the pumpkin, I pondered the idea of spiritual food. How often do we nourish our spirit, feeding it high quality nutrients, giving it a little boost of fertilizer, helping it flourish?

We are what we consume, and when we consistently fill our minds and hearts with the things of God, it will impact every area of our life, growing us, maturing us, allowing us to flourish, despite where we are currently rooted or what we are currently facing. Flourishing requires intentionality and investment, but the rewards we reap are well worth the discipline.

Lord, may we consume those things that are good for us, body, mind, and spirit. And as we do, help us to flourish. Amen.

-Julie

One Good Step: Intentionally feed your spirit this week through Christian music and teaching in the car, in your office, and in your home.