10 Principles for Gardening and Life
Lessons Grace Teaches Us About Growing What Truly Matters
I’m no gardener—at least, not yet. Maybe one day, if we move to the country, I’ll get a rototiller and carve a few rows of my own. Still, I come from gardening stock. Every spring as a kid, I helped clear the land and spent long hours working the field. Both of my parents were raised on farms, and my wife’s grandmother was no stranger to the soil. I remember shelling peas, shucking corn, and pressing seeds into the earth with my small hands.
The Bible speaks often about gardens—about growth, soil, and the seasons of life. As I’ve been researching Book Three in my novel, I’ve picked up ten simple, timeless principles worth sharing.
So, hop on the back of my tractor as we rumble through the rows together. Let’s see what grace has to teach us about gardening and life.
1. Patience in Growth
"True fruit takes time. Don’t rush the harvest; tend your soul gently, for grace nurtures what you can’t force. Growth under grace is slow, but it is sure."
“Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” — Galatians 6:9
2. Rest Over Hustle
"You don’t earn love by working harder; you receive it freely. Rest is holy. A soul that never rests will bear no fruit. Grace invites you to be still and know you are His."
“In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.” — Isaiah 30:15
3. Forgiveness as Fertilizer
"Bitterness poisons the roots. Forgiveness isn’t just for others—it frees your own garden to breathe again. The soil loosens when you let grace dig deep."
“See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” — Hebrews 12:15
4. Humility Before Growth
"Pride packs the soil tight, keeping living water out. Humility cracks it open. Bow low, and grace will raise you up in due time."
“He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.” — Psalm 25:9
5. Faith Over Fear
"Fear withers what grace is trying to grow. Water your roots with faith, not panic. Trust the Gardener’s hands, even when the sky looks dark."
“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” — Psalm 56:3
6. Joy in the Journey
"Don’t just yank weeds and chase harvests. Pause to see the small buds, the tiny blooms. Grace is found in the steps, not just the summit."
“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” — Psalm 118:24
7. Consistency, Not Perfection
"A healthy garden doesn’t come from a single day of hard work, but from daily tending. Grace values faithfulness over flawlessness."
“His mercies are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” — Lamentations 3:23
8. Community as Companion Plants
"No garden flourishes in isolation. Lean into your people. Grace often speaks through the hands that help you weed and water."
“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor.” — Ecclesiastes 4:9
9. Grace in Failure
"Storms will come. Crops will fall. Grace doesn’t shame you—it invites you to stand, to replant, to begin again without fear."
“Though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again.” — Proverbs 24:16
10. Surrender to the Gardener
"You’re not in charge of the garden’s seasons or its storms. Grace thrives when you surrender the soil to the Master Gardener. Let Him prune, shape, and tend your heart."
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” — John 15:5
In the end, our hearts are gardens—some well-tended, some overgrown, all in need of grace. We plow, we plant, we water, but it is God who gives the growth. The weeds will return, the storms will come, but the faithful Gardener never leaves His field.
So, let’s keep tending our rows. Let’s pull the weeds, water the weak spots, and rejoice over every small bloom. We don’t labor alone. Grace walks beside us—patient, steady, and strong.
The harvest is coming. Keep growing.