Spiritual Habits--Taking Advantage of the Nutrients God Offers

Last fall my husband and I rescued six azalea bushes that were "trapped" underneath an overgrown evergreen tree in our front yard. The azaleas were being choked by the tree's roots and received virtually no sun. They were slowly headed toward certain death. We transplanted them to the backyard, enriched the soil around them, added fertilizer and plenty of water. This spring five of them are thriving, bursting with hundreds of blossoms. One, however, is looking pretty scrawny--just two blooms and several completely dry, dead branches.

What is the difference between the bushes? They are all offered good soil, appropriate light, fertilizer and water. The difference is that five are taking advantage of what is offered in their new surroundings and one is not. For whatever reason, the sixth azalea's roots are not reaching down into the soil and drawing up the nutrients available.

Developing strong spiritual habits is like thrusting your roots down deep into the soil and drawing up the available resources. God has offered us a rich and rewarding relationship with Him. It's there for the taking--but we have to reach out and grab the raw materials which the relationship needs in order to thrive. We do that by talking to God, listening to Him talk to us through the words He has written and allowing Him space in our lives to get us growing.

Don't get discouraged if you are having trouble keeping up with the habits we have been developing over the past several months. Just jump in and start again today. Pray for 3 focused minutes 3 times a day. Spend 7 or 8 minutes reading the New Testament. Spend another 2 or 3 minutes reading a Psalm or other portion of the Old Testament. Turn off any noise that dulls your mind and keeps it from turning toward God (like repetitive cycles of the news while you commute or background TV while you work around the house).

May (at least where I live) is a perfect time to look around at everything blooming and remember that you can experience the same new, vibrant growth in your spiritual life. You just have to grab the nutrients God offers you.