CULTIVATE

verb: to foster the growth of; to improve by labor, care, or study 

“And cultivate thankfulness… Let every detail in your lives–words, actions, whatever–be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.” Colossians 3:15, 17 

There was not a parking spot to be found. Clearly, we were not the only ones who thought of making a trip to the nursery this morning. The signs of spring are beginning to appear, and it seems like everyone has decided it’s time. We are hopeful here in the northwest part of the country that the danger of frost is over and we are going out into our gardens.

We’ve got some cultivating ahead of us after a long, cold winter. We have to create some space, get rid of the decay, and loosen up the soil a bit. Preparing a healthy place for things to grow will take some time and effort and dirt-filled fingernails.

And as I spend some time kneeling beside my little garden boxes, I can’t help but compare my work in the dirt to the work that needs to take place in my heart.

Paul tells us here to view the details of our lives as things to be thankful for. Every step. The big, the little, the wonderful, and the awful. That does not come naturally to most of us. Sometimes the absolute last thing we feel like doing is saying, “thank you” to God.

Ann Voskamp, in her book One Thousand Gifts, writes: “When I give thanks for the seemingly microscopic, I make a place for God to grow within me. This, this, makes me full, and I ‘magnify him with thanksgiving’ (Psalm 69:30 KJV), and God enters the world.”

By learning to give thanks for every single thing, can we prepare a place for God to grow in us?

 Can we learn to see him as bigger than our problems? 

Can we experience him more fully in our daily lives? 

It is going to take some work for sure. We will need to kneel down (not with gloves and trowels but with Bibles and open hearts) to begin to cultivate true thankfulness.

We need to create some space, to carve out a bit of quiet time each day. God will open up so much to us if we will simply spend time with him.

We need to get rid of the decay. In our full and heavy hearts, we might need to clear out some dead stuff to make room for gratefulness. I’m not sure exactly what that looks or feels like, but forgiving others (or ourselves) might be a good place to start.

We need to loosen up the soil. This might be the toughest work. I imagine there are dry, hardened places in our hearts that are going to require another pair of hands or some additional tools. Some of these old cracked parts have given up on situations or relationships, and it is okay to ask for help to restore them to health.

Thank you, Jesus, for the hope of Spring and the new life that comes from you.

INVITE HIM IN

Our God, the master Creator, knows exactly what your heart needs. He wants to grow a healthy, fruitful, glorious garden inside of you. Ask him to come and help you do the work of cultivating thankfulness in your life. He will tend to every detail.