In the past couple of years, I have planted close to a hundred trees in my yard. It has been an adventure since I’m not a tree expert on evergreens. I’ve learned along the way and celebrated the moments where I’ve seen growth. We have a Creator God who is always in our midst, giving us opportunities to grow from mistakes and cultivating new ground in our hearts.

Here’s what I learned from my mistakes about tree planting. First, don’t expect your little trees to be safe if you plant them in the backyard with your German Shepherd. German Shepherds love sticks, even if they are planted in the ground.

Second, you must ensure the trees have strong roots to grow. I mistakenly got small trees with not a lot of roots, and not having a green thumb, I lost a lot of trees. The lost ones have been replaced with new ones, and I must say, I’ve learned much from these little trees.

God can teach us in the little things. I often find these small moments bring the biggest growth in our hearts. The small things that were big to me have given me space to grow.

These trees of mine need good soil to grow and flourish. We are a lot like the evergreen trees I planted. We, too, need good soil.

Our soil is our hearts. We find abundant life when we cultivate our hearts in good soil.

Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop – a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

Matthew 13:8

In the parable of the sower, we see how seeds fall into different places, some fertile, others not. There are the rocky places. If our hearts are walled off, there is little soil for the seed to grow. There are also those thorny places. Goodness knows I know my heart has been a thorny place before. If we get pulled into focusing on the negative, it is easy for the good plants to get choked out.

The good news is that there is good soil ready for our hearts. As we pray and talk to Jesus, our hearts become good soil. As we look to the Word of God as our source of truth, we cultivate fertile soil. The Holy Spirit waters our souls with wisdom and knowledge. We grow into simply being who God designed us to be.

When we cultivate our hearts into good soil, our roots become firmly rooted in our Maker. Planting your heart in the heart of God makes space for strong roots.

If your heart is rocky or thorny, don’t fall into condemnation or shame. Instead, get in the dirt! We need the water and light, yet we also need some good dirt – the good soil. Yes, the dirt is messy, but it is for our good.

If you see the dirt but not a sprout yet, keep cultivating your heart in the light and love of Christ. Space is needed. More often than not, I don’t see the growing opportunity until later, but as I have been dwelling in the good soil, I know the green sprout is ahead. And beyond the sprout, there is much fruit as I seek the Holy Spirit to water my heart and mind with wisdom.

If I sat outside, staring at the trees that I planted in my yard, I’m not so sure they would grow. I’m sure they would, but our eyes are not designed to see every step of a sprout or bloom transpire. Space is necessary. But we do get to enjoy the blooms and the green sprouts of new branches. And the same happens in our lives. We see progress and can celebrate growth.

How is your heart’s soil? If you feel like it is a little rocky or some thorns have stolen your space, go to the secret place with Jesus. Talk to Him about it. Tell Him you’re ready to cultivate new ground.

We don’t have to have a green thumb to cultivate the garden of hearts. We only need to be willing and open to count on Jesus to cultivate our hearts for good soil.