I sat in the shade of the old oak tree and smiled. I weeded the garden, repotted some houseplants, and picked some cucumbers and tomatoes. Yes, I was proud of myself.

ME: Good for you! You repotted that plant deep enough this time!
JESUS: Do you know why you haven’t been planting deep enough?
(At this point I basically jerked my head to hear what He had to say)

All summer I did the same thing. I didn’t plant my garden seed deep enough and had to replant some. I had to repot a few plants because…you guessed it, I didn’t plant them deep enough. And here Jesus comes, interrupting a quiet conversation with myself while I was giving myself high fives and a well deserved (eye roll) pat on the back. What the heck?

Continued: Me and Jesus

ME: Good for you! You repotted that plant deep enough this time! 

JESUS: Do you know why you haven’t been planting deep enough? 

ME: Uhmmm…You’re not talking about plants or garden seed are you Jesus?

JESUS: You’re afraid of commitment. When you don’t plant yourself deep enough, storms come and you’re too weak to remain rooted in me. Your roots aren’t deep enough to hold you and you get swept away. Why are you afraid of committing yourself fully to me? 

ME: I have some work to do, thanks Jesus. 

JESUS: I’m here, I’ll help you  

ME: Thanks so much!

So, I’ve been learning to trust Him more. Working on commitment. Listening to His voice. 
Praying and reading scripture. 

Believe it or not, I am a perfectionist. If it can’t be done right, I do nothing at all. I’m learning that I don’t have to have everything in line to continue my journey. I don’t have to have all the ingredients, I mean…ain’t nobody gonna miss the garlic cloves in my homemade pickles. So just make the pickles anyway. 

I will journey on and Jesus will add what I need along the way, if I stay committed. My walk with Him can be just as sweet even if I don’t read the entire Bible in a year, or even if I’m not as perfect as the virtuous woman, and even when I have trouble staying focused when I pray coz ADD will have me all over the place before I finish my quiet time with Him. 

When Jesus first asked me if I wanted to know why I wasn’t planting deep enough, my little ears perked up. I immediately thought, this will make a great blog post and may even help someone.  Ain’t that funny? Yep, this was all me. It was MY help. I’m thankful He speaks to me and just sort of inserts himself into my quiet moments. He knows He’s always welcome to sit me down and teach me a thing or two. 

Jeremiah 17:7-8 But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. 

Colossians 2:6-7 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.