Now is the perfect time to prepare your lawn and landscape for next year.  As the soil cools and the sun wanes, our plants stop putting their energy into growing their tops and begin growing their roots.  We have always said, "The bottom makes the top!"  By this we mean that the roots are the most important part of the plant.  Without strong roots, plants have no foundation to withstand storms, or drought, pestilence or hardship.  Winter can be very hard on our landscapes, but, if you plan ahead, if you prepare ahead, if you do the work that needs to be done now, you will indeed see the fruit of your efforts in the future.  Can you imagine your landscape thriving, growing and producing fruit if you didn't water it, fertilize it, care for it, nurture it, or protect it?  Focus on feeding and strengthening your roots, and I assure you that you will be rewarded for your efforts!!!  And so it is with our faith...

 

Do you see the analogy?  Some of us have taken our faith for granted.  We attend church on Easter and Christmas, perhaps even every Sunday.  We go to Christian concerts and support Christian causes, we may even tithe from our excess.  We may be active in our Church or even serve on its Board...but are we growing and producing fruit?  Is our foundation so strong that when hardship comes we run to the Lord rather than from Him?  Is our security found in what we do or in whose we are?

 

These are questions each of us must answer.  Questions I ask myself often.  To be truly healthy, I have to eat every day, I have to exercise every day, I need to rest every day.  Though I've tried it, it's impossible to eat, exercise and rest enough in one day to carry me through the entire week.

 

For me, and for you as well, to be spiritually alive and healthy, we need to feed daily on the Lord.  Like manna from heaven, today's nourishment is for today, tomorrow we will need more.  I find nourishment by ingesting the Lord's Word every day, ruminating on it throughout the day, and talking to God (in my head or even aloud :-) often, asking Him His thoughts on what I am doing, what I am saying, or what I am thinking.  How about you?  Do you practice religion, or do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?

 

Consider how much time and energy you spend caring for your lawn, watering your plants, and weeding your garden.  Though these things are important, and they may bring joy to our lives, in the scheme of things, they won't last, they will soon pass away.  But your relationship with Jesus will bear eternal consequences, either good or bad.  As you care for your landscape this fall, I pray God will awaken your spirit and draw you unto Himself.  As you prepare your plants to thrive, may you also remember to prepare your spirit!