Tending the Garden
Damien Beauford
Lately, I’ve been wrestling with something real …. pride. It’s subtle. It doesn’t always show up loud. Sometimes it sounds like, “I’m almost 40… I don’t have to deal with this,” or “I’m protecting my peace.” And while protecting your peace can be healthy, I’ve realized something, some of the very things I want to avoid are the exact places God is trying to grow me. It brought me back to Philippians 1:6 “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” God isn’t finished, and He’s not going to stop forming us just because we’d rather not deal with something.
This made me start thinking about patterns. Not just moments, but cycles. Sometimes daily, sometimes seasonal, sometimes yearly, but we don’t always stop long enough to recognize them. I remember being told to write things down and start noticing when they show up, because the enemy isn’t always creative but he’s often consistent. Once you recognize the pattern, you can confront it with truth, prayer, and the Word of God. That’s how you begin to win in areas that keep repeating.
Ok so sidetrack but relevant here, I just started gardening. I’m really getting into it, trying to pick the right plants, thinking about what grows well together, what’s easy to maintain, and what might overgrow and choke everything else out. Then I rushed and planted too early, and Ohio did what Ohio does… frost hit. Lesson learned, listen (especially to your wife ?). Do your research, and timing matters. I was talking to Kelli and she told me to think about plants that attract certain things or keep certain things away. I honestly just want hummingbirds in my yard. But what really hit me is this: for weeks I’ve been intentional about what goes into my garden. What if I lived my life with that same intentionality? What am I planting that attracts God's presence, peace, wisdom, humility? and what am I planting that helps guard agains pride, anger, avoidance, and selfishness?
Because if you don’t intentionally care for a garden, weeds don’t ask permission, they just grow. Same with our lives. Pride, selfishness, avoidance, anger… they don’t need effort, they just show up when we stop being intentional. So the real question isn’t just what are you avoiding, it’s what are you planting? And the truth is, God has already shown us how to tend the garden.
This isn’t about striving for perfection, it’s about bringing what’s real into the light. Not ignoring it, not avoiding it, not justifying it but saying, “God, I see it, and I’m giving it to You.” He’s the Master Gardener, but even in a garden the plants still have a role. Stay rooted. Stay connected to the source. Stay in position to receive what you need. That’s our part.
Maybe some of the very things I want to avoid are the exact places God is trying to grow me. And maybe the question today isn’t, “Why am I dealing with this again?” but instead, “What is God trying to grow in me right now?”
This made me start thinking about patterns. Not just moments, but cycles. Sometimes daily, sometimes seasonal, sometimes yearly, but we don’t always stop long enough to recognize them. I remember being told to write things down and start noticing when they show up, because the enemy isn’t always creative but he’s often consistent. Once you recognize the pattern, you can confront it with truth, prayer, and the Word of God. That’s how you begin to win in areas that keep repeating.
Ok so sidetrack but relevant here, I just started gardening. I’m really getting into it, trying to pick the right plants, thinking about what grows well together, what’s easy to maintain, and what might overgrow and choke everything else out. Then I rushed and planted too early, and Ohio did what Ohio does… frost hit. Lesson learned, listen (especially to your wife ?). Do your research, and timing matters. I was talking to Kelli and she told me to think about plants that attract certain things or keep certain things away. I honestly just want hummingbirds in my yard. But what really hit me is this: for weeks I’ve been intentional about what goes into my garden. What if I lived my life with that same intentionality? What am I planting that attracts God's presence, peace, wisdom, humility? and what am I planting that helps guard agains pride, anger, avoidance, and selfishness?
Because if you don’t intentionally care for a garden, weeds don’t ask permission, they just grow. Same with our lives. Pride, selfishness, avoidance, anger… they don’t need effort, they just show up when we stop being intentional. So the real question isn’t just what are you avoiding, it’s what are you planting? And the truth is, God has already shown us how to tend the garden.
- Reading the Word pulls out weeds and exposes what shouldn’t be there
- Prayer softens and prepares the soil of your heart
- Worship waters your spirit and keeps you connected to Him
- Time with God creates the environment where real growth happens
This isn’t about striving for perfection, it’s about bringing what’s real into the light. Not ignoring it, not avoiding it, not justifying it but saying, “God, I see it, and I’m giving it to You.” He’s the Master Gardener, but even in a garden the plants still have a role. Stay rooted. Stay connected to the source. Stay in position to receive what you need. That’s our part.
Maybe some of the very things I want to avoid are the exact places God is trying to grow me. And maybe the question today isn’t, “Why am I dealing with this again?” but instead, “What is God trying to grow in me right now?”
Posted in Spiritual Growth
Posted in Pride, Humility, Growth, Spiritual Discipline, Heart Posture, Awareness, Cycles/Patterns
Posted in Pride, Humility, Growth, Spiritual Discipline, Heart Posture, Awareness, Cycles/Patterns
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