I was reading something the other day, and I felt the Holy Spirit speak to me. Ironically, it was my AP Lang homework… but hey God can speak to us through anything! It said: I hear again the praise showered on her because whatever rocky soil she landed on, she turned into a garden.”

 

Think about that for a moment. This person took a bad situation and made the most of it, turned dark into light, brought life to a barren land. There are so many connections in the Bible about revival from death to life, but revival also applies to our attitudes: what we sow, we will reap. 

 

If we plant seeds of negativity, then the ugly weeds of negativity will surely outnumber the positive flowers in our garden. This doesn’t mean that there won’t ever be weeds—they’re always going to try to peek through your garden. But it’s harder to grow among the weeds. So, you can either plant the hard times as seeds that will eventually sprout weeds, or you can let God use the hard times as fertilizer to make you grow. 

 

This is one of those hard times where God is dumping fertilizer on you. It’s heavy and frustrating, but it will help you grow. This isolation (forced family fun??) can be used to rebuild your mental health, play with your dogs, bake some yummy sweets, read a book, be with your family… the possibilities are endless! God might have blocked out this time for you to not only get to spend time with your family but to spend time with him too. 

 

As we go through these seemingly apocalyptic times, I want to encourage you with Isaiah 58:11. 

“The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” God is using these scary, lonely, and chaotic times to grow an Eden within you! Trust the Lord with the garden of your attitude, because he makes beautiful things.