The dream of homemade salsa led me on a journey. It began with a vision: I would walk into my backyard, pick sun-ripened tomatoes, crisp peppers, flavorful onions, and some herbs, and make fresh salsa from the garden for free. No grocery store was needed—just nature’s produce. 

Reality Check

It was a great dream, except there was one problem. We didn’t have a garden. I would learn that you can’t simply wish a dream into existence for it to become a reality. 

You know work is involved if you’ve ever made a garden from scratch. So much for free salsa. While the salsa wouldn’t cost anything, my body would pay the price. There’s always a cost. 

Finding a good spot for the garden was the easy part. Our backyard had plenty of sunlight, but the ground was pretty hard and covered with grass. I had to get a shovel out and remove the top layer of grass and soil. Thankfully, after removing the top layer, I borrowed a rotor tiller from a friend. 

The spot was picked out, but I still wasn’t done. All the rototilling revealed rocks I didn’t know were below the surface and now I had to remove those. 

Afterward, with the soil tilled and de-stoned, I could plant my tomatoes, peppers, herbs, and onions. Oh, the joy. By Midsummer, I’d be eating fresh salsa from the garden. Life was good. 

However, I still wasn’t done. While the garden was growing, there were weeds, bugs, and wildlife. These are enemies of any fruitful garden. They would try their best to stop the plants from reaching maturity. 

Finally, my garden was producing salsa, at least after I put everything in the blender.  

Worth the Work

Growing a garden so I could have fresh salsa wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be, and taking care of a garden takes time and energy. I’ve heard that anything worth doing is never easy, which was true of my garden. It was hard, but when I saw the growth, I knew it was worth it. 

Just as my garden needed the right conditions to thrive, I began to see how my spiritual life required similar care and attention. I thought of Jesus’ parable about a Sower going out to sow seed in Mark chapter 4. 

Soul Soil

Jesus said there was hard soil, rocky soil, and soil with weeds. Seeds had difficulty growing in those soils. Jesus also said some of the seeds, which were the word of God, fell on good soil. The seeds in that soil produced a bumper crop. 

From experience, I know that good soil doesn’t just happen. It takes work and time. Good soil produces good growth.  

God sows His word in our lives. How well is His word growing in you? Are you finding peace, joy, and love flourishing in you?  

What Kind of Soil Do You Want?

If your spiritual life was a garden, what kind of soil would it be? Are you willing to use the tools (prayer, scripture, etc.) and do the work for better soil?

What would happen if this week you took time to prepare the soil of your soul? Here are some ideas: 

• Set aside 15 minutes for reflection or prayer.  

• Identify the “weeds,” thoughts, or habits that hinder your growth with God. 

• Start a spiritual growth journal, and each day, write down one way you’ve nurtured your spiritual garden.  

This is part of “The Formative Path” a 2024 Fall Sermon Series at St. Paul United Methodist Church in Bloomington, Indiana. For more information and the Weekly Reflection Sheets, go to https://ponderingpassages.com/category/path/