Preparing the ground for growth

Available for 24 days

Good morning. My husband and I share an allotment space with our friends, just outside the city centre and every month we try to align our diaries and meet up to get some work done. Living in the middle of Bradford means we don’t have access to a lot of green spaces nearby but our monthly commitment to tending to the needs of the allotment has been our saving grace. There’s something really precious about feeling the spring sun caress our faces, hearing the beautiful birdsongs cheering us on and appreciating the beauty and chaos of this formerly abandoned plot of land post-winter. We always begin every session by preparing the grounds for growth and as the spades go deep in the soil, our conversations deepen too. I am always grateful for the power of community and intentional time to do life together in these moments, the space and freedom to bring things to the surface and time to process it. Sometimes it’s easy and light, other times there is pain being shared as we break the ground and allow the cracks of vulnerability to be exposed. Just like growing fruits and vegetables, I am often reminded that we too are a work in progress. The apple and pear trees which were full of fruits just months earlier now lie barren, waiting for the right moment to start producing again. As our good friend Harry climbs each tree and starts pruning it I’m reminded of Jesus’ words to his disciples which says ‘Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me’. Today, I pray that I can trust God as He prunes areas of my life and prepares me for a new season of growth. Amen.