The Kitchen Floor

Welcome back! Today is going to get a little messy, but I hope you have a refreshing drink to sip as we chat. Being raised in the Bible Belt of the South, I love a good glass of ice-cold Luzianne tea. I might also have a syrup situation for coffees and teas, so you can add some peach or raspberry to yours if you like. I’m a peachie tea girl with light ice myself. If you don’t know what Pals is, I’m sorry. Next time I’m back home in East TN, we will have to swing by and awaken your taste buds. Today we are doing to tackle a very misused term for identity, and I hope you are ready to jump right in. 

From the moment He formed man, he called him soil. Genesis 2:1. Too often, men get the butt-end of jokes about being dirt because they were made from dirt. And while that is true that man was formed from the dust of the ground, the actual word for dust there is the Hebrew word Aphar, meaning earth, dirt, ground, soil. In Greek, it is the same word used in the parables of the soil found in Luke 8:4-15. You are good soil, even if you have never felt that way in your life. When you surrender to Christ, your heart becomes good soil that is cultivated by the Holy Spirit. You are entrusted with the seeds the Holy Spirit is planting in your heart and spirit to be watered and grow into a harvest for the Kingdom. Good soil is the state of our heart in response to what God is doing in us, around us, and through us. It directly impacts the harvest. If you have never gardened or been around farmers, they test the soil to see what nutrients it needs to maximize the harvest before the effort of tilling, planting, tending, and cultivating. What does your heart need? You may not know, but God does. He will rejoice in tending to the soil of your heart, just ask.

You may be saying, “That’s nice, but I have never been called good a day in my life.” Well, that’s a lie. Because God called you good the day He created you. Good isn’t an achievement; it means that it is something that is desired and approved of, has qualities for a particular role, displays moral virtue, and is enjoyable. Just ask Webster and his dictionary. Still don’t believe me, Genesis 1:27-31 says He created us in His image and called us good. He desires you. He created you for His delight. He knows you are enjoyable to be around. He has equipped you with what you need to do exactly what He is calling you to do. Quit choosing to see yourself through the world’s eyes; see yourself from Heaven’s perspective.

Soil is also the only thing you can plant a seed in that has the nutrients to grow a seed into a mighty tree. Nothing goes wasted. Have you heard of compost? It’s what we throw out, scraps, the things we would call waste. But it’s compacted and broken down, mixed back in with the soil, and becomes a key nutrient in healthy soil. God is faithful to take what you consider wasted time and mix it into the soil He created you to be, using it to be a key part of your testimony to produce a bountiful harvest. He takes the scraps of our life in His hands as the good farmer, and we become good soil. He can trust you to grow the gifts He’s given you, to be a place that nurtures others and promotes growth. You have spent the time being discipled by Christ, done the hard work of being cultivated, rocks removed, dry places watered, nutrients restored, and it allows Him to entrust you with more. He knows you will not let what He has entrusted to you go to waste. You will not listen when the enemy tries to snatch away the Word, like the birds in the parable of the sower.

Weed pulling is my least favorite chore. I hate pulling weeds. It’s hot, sweaty, dirty, and then I have to clean up where I pulled the weeds and replace soil, plant new plants (although I do enjoy the garden center), and then my nemesis, mulching (also hate due to splinters and smell). Spiritual weeding can feel similar, like we have these beds that have been over taken by weeds and life to the point we don’t even know where to start. Or maybe there’s not a lot of weeds, but the ones that remain it feels like we have pulled 1000x and they keep coming back. That’s because we aren’t allowing Him to pull them and show us how to maintain the soil. Without growing closer to Him, we won’t even know what’s a weed and what’s a flower. Thankfully, we have a Savior who will take all our rocks and trade them for a living heart that beats in time with His. Ezekiel 36:26. The battle is real when it comes to our hearts and spiritual growth. The enemy will do everything to keep you from growing; he would much rather you be like a bonsai tree. Bonsai trees never grow deep in their soil because, to keep them small, you uproot them, shake the dirt off, and trim the roots, then replant them. This is what the enemy wants to do with you. Uproot you, shake the good soil off, move you from friendship to friendship, relationship to relationship, argument to argument, and the whole time the enemy is thrilled you have been willing to aid in the uprooting and root trimming of your life. Once you are rooted in God, growing deep roots, the enemy cannot take you out because you are rooted in the One who can protect you and has conquered the enemy. Ephesians 3:14-20

I hope you have community, friends, family, and ones you can trust to encourage you to pursue being good soil. If you don’t, please let me know. I will add it to my prayer list and be praying for you to have what you need to grow in your relationship with Christ. As always, you’re welcome to hang out here as long as you like, and there’s plenty of iced tea to refill your glass.