Life is like a Garden

Life began in a Garden,
God formed us from dirt.
He planted us to grow,
And is our Gardener expert.

You weren’t created as a houseplant,
To live isolated and alone.
You were made for a garden-bed,
Where your seeds can be sown.

Your roots need to be grounded,
In God’s rich and fertile soil.
We need to submit to His pruning,
And yield to our lives of toil.

God waters us with Life,
And shines His Son for power.
He transplants us when it’s needed,
To new friendships, like a flower.

God tends our soil with care,
As He fertilizes our dirt.
He feeds us with His goodness,
And heals our every hurt.

As we each grow together,
In God’s garden of Life,
Let’s weed ourselves from sin,
To withstand the winter’s strife.

Our garden has many different trees,
With a variety of plants and flowers.
Some have thorns or fruits to bear,
And some have healing powers.

Grow where you are planted,
Endure your garden’s mud.
Bloom, to propagate your seeds,
Dig deep, and care for each bud.

 

(Inspired by the Sermon, "Glorious Dirt", by Gabe Philips - Life Changers Church, Milnerton, Cape Town)

Life is like a Storm

Life can be a raging storm
Often turbulent and bleak
It can leave you sad and forlorn
Feeling battered and all weak

Winds of change can leave you shaken
Feeling exposed and vulnerable
But their purpose is to see you waken
And not leave you miserable

Clouds of doubt and confusion
Make it hard to see the way
While lightning thought delusions
Can leave you stranded and astray

Raining tears may seem to drown you
When the hurt comes thundering in
But they are meant to cleanse you
And where your healing will begin

When your blizzard heart grows icy
Love can thaw it through
Like waves swelling in the sea
It can make your life feel new

We may not know the forecast
Of when our storms will come
But we can remain steadfast
When we are anchored to God’s son

For it’s there we can find refuge
As we seek shelter till our rainbow
Whether our storms are small or huge
God uses them to help us grow

What you Feed will Grow

We wake each day with a choice,
With what and who will we feed.
We can be miserable or rejoice,
Focus on our blessings or our need.

Our food is the fuel that grows us,
Transforming us into someone new.
Growing to become more like Jesus,
When we feed on what’s pure and true.

Our flesh and 5 senses keep calling,
To feed them with our selfish desires.
Whilst our spirit’s growth keeps stalling,
Getting choked out from what it requires.

We need to crucify our flesh,
And starve it’s needs to death.
So that our spirit can arise afresh,
And feed on our worship breath.

Our spirit’s willing, our flesh is weak,
We must look above and not around.
For the spiritual food that we seek,
Is where our maturing growth is found.

We need to feed on God’s Word,
To read it, listen and meditate.
Making sure that our spirit is stirred,
As we daily finish what’s on our plate.

We need to feed on earnest prayer,
To talk to and hear from our Lord.
Knowing that He is always there,
Offering us blessings as our reward.

We need to feed on joyful praise,
To worship our God with a song.
Take off our focus on what preys,
Feeding together makes us strong.

We won’t grow with fast-food junk,
Gobbled up in a hurry, on the run.
Savoring long, on a decent chunk.
Is where our best growth is done.

So wake up each day and choose,
To feed your spirit and not your flesh,
Resisting self, making no excuse,
Until your flesh becomes hungry less.

And as you feed your spirit well,
By abiding and snacking all day,
Others will soon be able to tell,
And will want to eat of your buffet.