Simply Soul Searching

(A SEASON OF NEW GROWTH #2)
Wednesday, May 26th

This God—his way is perfect;
    the promise of the Lord proves true;
    he is a shield for all who take refuge in him.
(Psalm 18:30, NRSV)

When I first began preparing this post, my plan was to write about tilling the soil. I had thought of using this as a metaphor for us to break apart and open ourselves to receive good seeds. But as I researched the benefits of tilling, I kept finding the benefits of “no-till gardening” instead! Of course, this new finding had much to show me about God and our spiritual life…

At My Soulful Home, Kelly Wilkniss writes:

With No Till Gardening, once the bed is established the surface is never disturbed. Amendments are layered on, added to the top of the bed.  Over time, these amendments are pulled into the subsoil by watering and the busy undersoil organisms. Weeding becomes largely a thing of the past.  It is replaced by mulching – adding more layers which smother the weeds & provide for your plants.

By adding material in layers, the underlying soil surface remains spongy, making it easy for the young roots of newly planted seedlings to work through the soil. This is similar to the way soil is formed in nature.  Think of the forest floor. Tilling is a bad practice because your soil has its mojo going on and then you come at it with the sharp tines of your tiller and mess the whole thing up.  It is akin to turning all the lights up really bright at a rockin’ party.  Buzz kill!¹

God is not outside of us, waiting for an opportunity to enter in when we break apart. God is already within us, gently working through us, creating the healthy soil of our souls to receive and nurture seeds of love. God opens and softens us to absorb the lessons that life layers on us, turning those layers into good compost, providing fertile ground for new growth.

All of our joys and sorrows, hurts and healings, gains and losses, successes and failures, are gathered, broken down, and integrated into beneficial and nourishing topsoil that will foster our growth as people of God. The showers of God’s love gently wash away all that is no longer useful, leaving only the essential goodness from each experience. We gain from our experiences such things as kindness, acceptance, compassion, hope, forgiveness, joy, peace, and love, under a protective and nurturing cover. Through all of the layers, we also grow in our awareness of God’s constant, caring, and active presence in our lives.

As we learn to embrace everything life offers, as we learn to place every layer of our lives into God’s transforming power, we will soon discover surprising new growth sprouting up into the sunshine.

¹No Till Gardening – Your Soil Needs a Do Not Disturb Sign — My Soulful Home  Kelly Wilkniss

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

(A SEASON OF NEW GROWTH #1)
Monday, May 24th

When you enter the land that I am giving you, the land shall observe a sabbath for the Lord. Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather in their yield; but in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of complete rest for the land, a sabbath for the Lord: you shall not sow your field or prune your vineyard.  (Leviticus 25:2-4, NRSV)

Could our first step toward our Season of New Growth actually be a decision to lie fallow?

No, this will not be the first and only post in this series! But today’s reflection reminds us of the importance of choosing to keep restful, quiet, unhurried time in our days.

Let’s consider the benefits of fallowing ground for gardening. Darcy Larum, Landscape Designer, writes:

Fallow ground, or fallow soil, is simply ground or soil which has been left unplanted for a period of time. In other words, fallow land is land left to rest and regenerate.

Early in the history of fallowing, farmers usually did a two-field rotation, meaning they would divide their field into two halves. One half would be planted with crops, the other would lie fallow. The following year, farmers would plant crops in the fallow land, while letting the other half rest or fallow. As agriculture boomed, crop fields grew in size and new equipment, tools and chemicals became available to farmers, so many crop producers abandoned the practice of soil fallowing… a field left unplanted does not turn a profit.

Allowing the soil to have a specific rest period gives it time to replenish nutrients which can be leached from certain plants or regular irrigation. It also saves money on fertilizers and irrigation. In addition, fallowing the soil can cause potassium and phosphorus from deep below to rise toward the soil surface where it can be used by crops later. Other benefits of fallowing soil are that it raises levels of carbon, nitrogen and organic matter, improves moisture holding capacity, and increases beneficial microorganisms in the soil. Studies have shown that a field that has been allowed to lie fallow for just a year produces a higher crop yield when it is planted.¹

Like the farmer hoping for a profit, I am one who tends to think of an “abundant life” as a busy or productive life. I can feel irritable and frustrated on days when very little has been accomplished. I may not realize that my body needed to rest, or my mind needed to regroup, or my soul needed to reflect. Perhaps these fallow days provided some much-needed space for rest and replenishment. In addition, as noted in the farming fields, these unproductive days may have helped to rebuild resources for my future productivity and better “yield.”

We will never live abundantly if we spread ourselves too thinly.

What are some ways we can include more fallowing time in our lives?

~ Do we say “no” to something good in order to do something better?
~ Do we say “not right now” to something that can wait until a future time?
~ Do we fully honor a day of sabbath rest each week?
~ Do we make time in our day to turn off and from the things that distract?
~ Do we summon the courage to say “no” to requests or demands that are not ours to assume?
~ Do we examine the real impetus for our frenetic chasing – or what we may be trying to avoid?

We have much to learn from the soil. When can learn to set aside our plans and productivity for a time, inviting the hidden longings of our souls to rise to the surface. We can learn to schedule quiet and restful spaces for our depleted soils and souls to recover and replenish. We can learn the wisdom of Ecclesiastes 3:1, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven…” We can learn to embrace the natural rhythms of life and of God, a balance of work and rest that is essential for our well-being.

What will we not do today in order to grow abundantly tomorrow?

¹Read more at Gardening Know How: What Is Fallow Ground: Are There Any Benefits Of Fallowing Soil https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/what-is-fallow-ground.htm

Photo by Karen, Hurricane, WV