Planting Yourself in 'Good' Soil
In the last blog, we talked about the importance of germinating our leadership by being ‘planted’. Now, it’s knowing our soil type so that we’re planted in ‘good’ soil. There are a couple of points to keep in mind to determine if your soil is ‘good’. Who knew soil could be so interesting?
First, Mark 4:3-9 “(v 8) Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.” In this passage, it’s important to keep in mind, the seed is the same, the difference is the soil. The soil, doesn’t have “more” it actually had less; there were no weeds; no thorns to choke out the seed (v 7). The seed, had enough soil to grow roots so that it wasn’t scorched by the soon and wither away. (v 6)
Second, it’s important to understand our soil’s compaction. Compaction determines a roots ability to sprout. By definition, compaction is the process by which porosity of a given form of sediment is decreased as a result of its mineral grains being squeezed together by the weight of overlying sediment by mechanical means. If a soil is too compact, it becomes less able to absorb rainfall; plants have difficulty growing because the mineral grains are pressed together-leaving little space for air and water which are essential for root growth. How does soil compaction apply to us? If we’re too busy; if we’re too stretched; we’re too compacted to have room for God to show us what he wants us to do. If we’re too compacted, we can’t see the path He has for us or germinate properly to lead the life He has called us to effectively.
I’m going to go out on a limb here, and assume, your life is a lot like mine and full, overflowingly full. It’s simply, too compacted to find the room or make the room to do the things you want to or feel called to do. If that’s the case, our next step is now making a change. If we REALLY want the chance for roots to grow from the seed God planted in us, then we must be willing to lower our compaction through a variety of steps. It may take some practice, but it involves saying no to good things so we can say yes to great things. Maybe, if you’re like me, it’s also sacrificing time on social media to allow our body to be quiet in God’s presence. It may require us to wake up early to spend time with Him; to give Him the first fruits of our time. We make it difficult on God to speak to us and reveal himself to us when we never give him the space in which to work. Once the soil of our life has low compaction, it will have room for new roots to grow and change to happen. If we continue to live lives of highly compacted soil, how can God be expected to grow roots in us? The last thing we need to keep in mind, is that our soil may require us to spend time tilling/cultivating it before God can grow our seed.
Cultivating or tilling is really 2 things: removing the weeds from the garden and loosening the soil to optimize the retention and penetration of air, water, and nutrients. Cultivating our soil breaks up the dry, crusty (highly compacted topsoil) and allows for easier penetration of air and nutrients and water deep into the soil where plant roots can grow and gain access. It also makes it easier for newly germinated plants to sprout through the surface of the soil. In order for a highly-compacted soil to become fertile again and allow for new life, it must be broken up by the sharp blades of a tiller. Levi Lusko says, “don’t pray for what you won’t pay for.” If we are asking God to grow something in us, to use us, and to show His will for our life; then we need to be prepared for God to till up our compacted soilso that new growth can happen. Before starting, it requires an honest talk with ourselves. We must decide whether or not we’re willing to accept the cost involved for the new growth to begin. What am I willing to allow God to ‘cull out’ or ‘break up’ in my life? Psalm 139 verse 23-24 says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. And See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Seek God WHILE you plant your seed in the ‘good’ soil. MAKE the time each day (specifically) and ask God to show what areas of your life need culling out…tilling/cultivating, and then be quiet and listen to what he says.
Steven Furtick, in his book, “(Un)Qualified” says, “The more you grow to know God, the more you will grow to know, and I believe enjoy yourself. I can’t promise the journey to self-discovery will be easy. You may have a few closets to clean out...but if you can learn to recognize and value the real you, you’ll find freedom and peace unlike anything you’ve ever experienced.”