Here in Washington, we are blessed with incredible seasons. Our Fall colors become bare winter branches, and in the spring, things start to grow, giving way to long stretches of rain-free summer.
As I was preparing my yard for a season of growth the thought came to me, in order for something to grow, the environment needs to be conducive to growth. Washington summers don’t get nearly enough credit. They are stunning. Long, warm days of green trees with a backdrop of blue mountains. You just can’t beat it! But as beautiful as that season is, it’s not quite so dreamy for the lawn. If you don’t have a sprinkler system, it gets crunchy pretty quickly.
But you know you’re a true Norwesterner when you get excited about that first cool Fall rain. You and your lawn have both been waiting for that first hint of cool air. Even though it might not be as full of fun as the summer months, there is no doubt that the Fall is a time for that crispy lawn to enter a season of growth. That’s time to start putting down seed. I was out there just the other day, putting down fertilizer, because I’ve been here long enough to know that if you don’t get it down in time, it’ll get washed away.
We serve an amazing Creator, who has placed so much of life’s truth in his creation. We’re not that different from that grass seed, are we? Our seasons of growth aren’t usually the ones of fun and entertainment. They come like the cooler weather, a little more uncomfortable maybe, but at the end of the day, the perfect condition for growth.
We don’t have control over the season we are in. We don’t have control over the circumstances of our lives, but we still can make our lives into an environment conducive to growth.
Throughout the Scripture, rain is a symbol of blessing and water is a picture of the Holy Spirit. In the Psalms, someone who meditated on God’s Word was compared to “a tree, planted by the rivers of water” (Psalm 1:3). Jesus promised that those who believed in him would have “rivers of living water flowing out of them” (John 7:38). Our lives are at their healthiest when we are inspired, influenced, and drive by the Spirit of God.
There are so many things that we can do to jumpstart our spiritual growth. We can get connected a local church. We were created to live in a diverse community of people. When we’re in that a community, we can find ways to serve that community using the gifts that God has given us. When we are connected to God’s people and looking for his best with what we have to offer, we are living lives of worship.
Only you can maximize your environment for growth. Our devotion to our spiritual growth is one of the only things that we can control. Let’s be lives that grow up to glorify God.