Soul Scientist

Galatians 5:22-23 AMP But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.

I wish I could say this photo is a picture of my garden. Sadly, it isn’t. Yet this picture prompts me to pray for abundant growth of the Spirit’s fruit in my heart that my life might be a good garden for the work of my Good God.

What makes this picture especially beautiful is that many types of vegetables are flourishing. The rows are lush in leaf and thick in that which is coming soon to someone’s dinner table. (I wonder if this picture could be a glimpse of what Adam knew in Eden before the fall? If so, then he sure ate well!) The garden’s purpose is to nourish with nutrients for healthy bodies and lives, for this generation and those to come. The above-ground portion is for today’s tables while the below-ground portion stores organic matter, nutrients, and water in the soil for future tables.

And to this soil scientist, that kind of beauty is both distinctive and desirable. A beauty that nourishes with nutrients for body, spirit, and soul. Not just to hold body and soul together but to move spirit closer towards the shalom found in seeking the fullness known only in the Presence of our Good God. A shalom that is wholeness and maturity in all ways and for all times.

An outpouring of shalom which flourishes in the rich soil of a soul set aside unto Christ and bears a rich harvest for those for whom it is farmed. Hebrews 6:7 (PHILLIPS) captures this idea with Ground which absorbs the rain that is constantly falling upon it and produces plants which are useful to those who cultivate it, is ground which has the blessing of God.

Frequently when I look out across grounds rich with abundance like my neighbor’s garden and the hay fields and forests of my family farm, I find myself saying “please, God, I want my life to look like that.”

And I keep praying that same petition over and again because I know this – God can and will do the impossible (see Luke 1:37). He is not limited by past mistakes, present fears, or future unknowns. He is not confined by circumstance, condition, or my lack of cooperation. Jeremiah said it best in chapter 32, verse 17, part b (AMPC) Nothing is too hard or too wonderful for You.

I need that truth from Jeremiah to soak deep in the soil of my heart like a good rain. And then for it to grow more seeds of faith and nourish joy for strength (see Nehemiah 9:10). And those faith seeds are evidence of these truths:    

Only God can take the little of my trying and make it into the much of His triumphs over temptation or trial.

Only God can transform what seems over in today’s failures into what is overcoming in tomorrow’s hopes.   

Only God can translate what I can’t understand in ideas into what He wants to use as evidence of His glory.

Honestly, I want the wonderful without the work.

But many times, God’s growing of good gardens in my life demands lots of work, and lots of hard work at that. If you’ve done any gardening at all, you know vigorous vegetables only result from a constant working against unwelcome and unwanted weeds and other pests. And I’ve found the same to be true for Spirit-fruit in the garden of my heart…

Incorporating the spiritual disciplines into my daily life opens my eyes and heart to discovering more and more beauty which feeds a hunger for harvest of more Spirit fruit. This incorporation isn’t easy or simple. But its effects are surely prominent in today’s harvest of peace and patience and promised in the one-day-coming’s harvest of people and pearls (see Revelation chapter 21).

I join with John in saying from Revelation 22:20b NLT Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!

Yes, Lord! May today be the day of Your glorious return!

Thank you, dear readers, for taking the time to read this excerpt from my third book, Well Grounded: Cultivating Intimacy with God available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other online book distributors. I’d be honored if you’d consider purchasing it for yourself or for friends and family. If you’re interested in a bulk order to use for a group or class, Northeastern Baptist Press offers discounts on bulk orders directly from them at this link: https://www.nebpvermont.com/books

written by and copyrighted to Beth Madison, Ph.D., 2025.