One of the experiences that has profoundly transformed my Christian walk is living in the countryside and caring for a garden.
For over two years, I lived in the mountains and valleys of the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Initially, I felt God’s call to move from where I was, believing it was just for practical reasons—growing my own food and saving money. But I soon discovered it was about much more.
What gardening can teach you about cultivating faith.
If you’ve ever tended a garden, you know that gardeners spend about 80% of their time doing one thing: weeding. I’ve come to believe that a person’s patience isn’t truly tested until they’ve weeded an entire garden for a full season.
In my journey to improve my gardening skills, I learned to use wood chips and mulch to preserve moisture and reduce the presence of weeds. This became a spiritual lesson I hold dear.
In Matthew 13, Jesus shares the Parable of the Sower, describing seeds scattered on different types of soil. Today’s focus is on this verse:
“And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.” – Matthew 13:7
“Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, but the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.” – Matthew 13:22
Similarly, Christ tells us that some of us are like a garden without mulch. The Word of God takes root, begins to grow, but eventually, the cares of this world—like weeds—choke it out. Like a diligent gardener, we must seek the Lord and ask Him to guide us in cultivating our spiritual lives.
For some, this may mean leaving a job, relocating, or cutting ties with certain social circles that hinder our spiritual growth. Just as a gardener must tirelessly work to uproot weeds from their source, so must we diligently uproot sin from our hearts.
Sin, like weeds, doesn’t respect a healthy heart—it will always try to creep in. However, when we surrender fully to Christ, those sins will feel out of place in our hearts, and we will immediately work to remove them.
What about the cares of this world? No one is free from them. Whether rich or poor, everyone faces the challenges of daily life.
Today, with constant ads promising quick wealth and luxury, the pursuit of money, fame, and success is relentless. Social media bombards us with images of riches and fame, making it easy to see how the cares of life can choke out the Word. If we don’t take discipleship seriously, those roots of sin will continue to grow, sprouting new thorns along the way.
Just like weeding a garden is a painful process, so is rooting out sin in our lives. Denying ourselves is tough and goes against our nature. Yet, that is the call—to forsake our old nature and embrace a new one in Christ.
Through intentional Bible study, prayer, meditation, and other spiritual disciplines, we lay down the “mulch” in the garden of our hearts. This mulch nurtures the Word, allowing it to grow without competition from the weeds of the world.
The first time my family harvested and tasted the Swiss chard from our garden, it was as if we had never tasted Swiss chard before—the sweetness was remarkable. That taste made all the labor worthwhile, and it reminded me of the promise in the Bible:
“Well done, good and faithful servant; enter into the joy of your Master.”
God will rejoice over the fruit of those who have kept the weeds of sin from taking over their hearts. I want to be one of those people. This lesson from my garden has deeply impacted me, and I hope it inspires you as well.
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” Psalms 32:8
God is with us, and that is all we need. Until next time!
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Linda Mkhwanazi is a wife, mother and contributor to the Communion with Christ Newsletter. Linda enjoys reading, writing and serving in a youth ministry. She is the author of a devotional titled In His Presence, and has contributed as a writer to Sabbath School Net, a global online bible study and discussion platform. One of her recent passions is talking about food, from production to the plate.
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