Frozen Lawns and Frozen Souls

After more than a week of nighttime temperatures dipping into the twenties, Florida looks like it has added a second season—Fall. Leaves have fallen, and the grass, flowers, and shrubs have turned a barren shade of brown. I asked my yard man if I had lost all of my landscaping and would need to start over. He assured me that everything will come back if I provide just three ingredients: patience, water, and fertilizer.

While I wait for the re-greening of Florida, I have time to reflect on my own frozen soul. Why does it so often become lifeless? When it does, will it recover? As I reflect, I recognize that the same three ingredients that will bring life to my lawn will also bring life to my soul.

Patience: In his letter to the Philippians, even the great Apostle Paul admitted that he had not arrived at the place of perfection. “But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal.” As long as I live, that goal will always be ahead.

Water: In 1 Corinthians 3:6, Paul writes, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” We know that Paul planted by evangelizing and starting the Corinthian church, but who was Apollos, and how did he water? Apollos was a pastor and teacher who came after Paul and taught the people the deeper truths of the Christian faith. Paul said that what he gave was milk, and what Apollos gave was “solid food.” (v. 2)

 Fertilizer: For my lawn, I purchased the kind advertised by a Scottish man who demands, “Feed your lawn! Feed it!” It is supposed to kill the weeds while, at the same time, providing nutrients for the grass. This is also what Colossians 3 tells us to do for our spiritual growth. Verse 5 says, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” These are the weeds. The things we want to make grow are mentioned in verses 12-14. They include compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forgiveness, and love.

This is how Christians grow. We patiently water, fertilize, and repeat.