Here in northeast Tennessee farming season is in full swing. Tomatoes, sweet corn, fresh green beans, and watermelons fill rows of cultivated garden spaces found across our region. Regardless of the type area in which these fruits and vegetables are growing, it all started with a seed being planted into the soil and then mother nature kicking in to do her part before we receive the opportunity to reap the fruit of her labor. Along the way though, the farmer is responsible for cultivating the garden, and nurturing the tender plants to maturity. One of the most important parts of gardening is pulling the weeds out that would steal the plant's nutrients and ultimately deprive the plant of reaching its full potential. In our lives, it's pretty much the same way. We should be continuously growing physically, mentally, and spiritually and that growth can either be supported or hindered by what we are planting in our own human garden.
Bitterness, prejudice, anger, and hatred are all weeds that if allowed to grow inside our hearts and minds will stunt our potential and limit our impact on the world. If at first, we hold on to hurt feelings and disappointments, then those feelings quickly sprout in our lives and from there they start producing roots of bitterness and anger towards life in general. In some cases, this happens instantly, we get mistreated, wronged, or even a mistake made by someone we may or may not really know. In other instances, our bitterness and anger stem from childhood experiences, a loved one's wrong, or an incident that we feel created a hardship in our life. In either setting the end result is the same, if we allow those seeds of discontent to take up root they will quickly choke out the good in our life and replace it with anger and discord. You were not created to be angry!
Man, according to Genesis 1:27 was created "in the image of God". If that is the case then we must be willing and able to root out the anger and bitterness with forgiveness and empathy. God forgives us willingly and graciously, we must only ask for His forgiveness and it is done. If we are created in His image then it only stands to reason that we should be more like Him in regards to forgiveness. I mean God even sent us an example to show us how to forgive, His only Son, Jesus. Jesus was falsely convicted, beaten and tortured, and then made to carry His own cross on which He would be hung. After cruelly being hung on that cross, Jesus showed us what forgiveness truly looks like. Jesus prayed to His father and asked that He be spared, but if that was not in the plans then Jesus exclaimed "Thy will be done" and then asked His father to forgive those that had caused Him so much pain and suffering. That forgiveness is our model for soul saving class 101!
You may be asking, "How do I forgive that person that has hurt me so badly?", that answer is found in Jesus' example. When we "de-weed" our gardens of the anger and bitterness that we are harboring in our life, and we replace it with forgiveness then our fruits will begin to flourish and we will produce a bountiful harvest. We cannot forgive until we first ask for forgiveness. We must ask God to forgive us for our bitterness and anger which in essence cultivates our own garden and begins the process of planting the right seeds of thankfulness and commitment to our true purpose in life.
If you want to see your garden grow and be productive, it is essential that you plant the right types of seeds and then you cultivate and nourish the right plants as they begin to grow and produce the fruits you were intended to produce!
Coach Carter
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