Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal Of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:8-9

Spring is my favorite time of the

year for so many reasons: New buds appear, giving way to an assortment of colors that only God can create. Birds are cheerfully singing in the start of each new day while our heavenly Father is miraculously rejuvenating the landscape. In other words, everything comes alive and starts to grow.

This past spring, I decided to have some elaborate landscaping done on my front lawn, being that I could no longer do the work myself. This was neither a small nor inexpensive task. But when the work was completed, there appeared to be so little to show for all the labor and expense. I almost felt disappointed because what I had imagined for the final results just did not seem to materialize. Having prayed diligently about my decision to get this landscaping done, I had to listen to what God was saying about all of this.

My heavenly Father invested His only begotten Son in order to bring me to a place of salvation. With great expense and labor, Jesus took on the task of soulscaping me. He transformed my soul to something new when He removed all the "weeds" from my life. He transplanted His heart to mine and began the process of planting the fruit of the Spirit within me. At first, as with my landscaping, it seemed a very futile effort. After all, the plants were so tiny with very little foliage or fruit. But the Lord began to show me that the newly landscaped lawn was a physical picture of my newly soulscaped soul. Fruit bearing is a process and will require much time, patience, and care before the good appears. I was given instructions to daily water my plants the first week and then twice weekly for one year. In the spiritual realm, God carefully instructs us to abide in Him for He is our Vine---our life support---the source of our fruit bearing. In both the physical, (Landscaping), and the spiritual, (Soulscaping), we must depend on the Lord to bring the increase, but we must be positioned where He can complete the process. I look forward to when the fruit of all the labor and expense invested in my lawn, will become visible. But more importantly, I look forward to the time when the fruit of my faith, begun by my heavenly Father, will be realized, full bloom in eternity with Him.

Prayer: Dear Lord, you always know what you are doing and what the plan is for our lives. Your timing and the faith and patience you invest in us work together to give us more than we expected. Although we may not yet see fully developed fruit in our lives, by faith we know that one day all the expense and labor you invested in us will give way to the most beautiful flower garden ever. Thank you, Lord. Amen.

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