Plant your seed

The other day this lady introduces herself to us, and after chatting a bit we realize that we have some mutual friends. She jokingly says something along the lines of (Oh good I can dig up some good dirt on you then). I laugh and we just go about the day. As this conversation starts to resonate with me I start to contemplate this phrase that is used all the time (dig up good dirt) when talking about someone. People that are gossiping will say this phrase, people that are maybe looking to date someone, or if you just want to see if this person will be a good fit for a multitude of avenues.

To have dirt means to know a secret about said person or maybe something they don’t want a lot of people to know. Something from your past.
Now, when this sweet lady was talking me it was all in joking and completely NOT harmful.

As these words are in my mind so is all these other thoughts… Let’s take a walk though my mind-
We are taught from a very early age to kind of “brush stuff under the rug” if you will. You have a reputation to uphold and so you don’t want to showcase your past mistakes that you have made because might somehow change peoples current views of the person that you are, at least this is what we tell ourselves and the people around us. So, then it becomes this vicious animal that we are supposed to keep locked away somewhere deep inside of you. This becomes your dirt.

What if we change this concept? When I look at dirt I see possibility. Don’t you? The possibility of beautiful flowers, or grass, or trees, and really maybe even the possibility of weeds. Because let’s face it there are some pretty beautiful weeds that just grow freely until someone tries to cut it down or change it. There is even the possibility of vegetables, herbs, and spices, all of these things we love and really can’t live without. If the fact that dirt is the basic foundation for all of these beautiful, useful, and completely needed items in life- maybe we should view it that way when applied to our lives.

Stay with me here- You know the saying, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” or another popular one is “let your past make you better not bitter.” Well, I say we embrace our mistakes, our misfortunes, and moments of being “young and dumb.” I say this because how else will people learn and grow? I think it’s important to be transparent and not be ashamed of decisions and choices that we have made in our pasts, they are the basis of our garden.

When a person decides to grow a garden there are a lot of steps.
You have to choose location, figure out time of year, decide what you are going to plant, prepare you garden space, plant the right way, water, fertilize, mulch, and keep insects and other things away from your beautiful vegetation. The most interesting part of vegetation is that it will grow to the sun. Take a tree it will grow sideways if it needs to to get to the sun. This is just a basic overview, but you get the picture. It’s labor intensive there will be a lot of trial and error, trust me I have tried and failed multiple gardens.

This is true for you and your life as well- it takes time, it takes trial and error, it takes that “dirt” that you are feeling so ashamed of to get you to the sun. Embrace that dirt! So that you can Experience the sunlight! and start to Enjoy your life!
The people that want to know you and want to love you will not judge you for your past they will simply see that you were planting your garden. Sometimes it takes a few tries to get vegetation to grow the way that it was meant to grow. The same is true for you, sometimes it takes a few tries and attempts to get to where you are wanting to go.

Remember that you my friend have the best gardener on the face of the planet that is our heavenly father and he has planted your seed firm in the dirt and he is shining his light so bright waiting for you to bend, curve, and reshape yourself to find it.

Remove the rug and allow yourself to feel your past so that you can stand firm in your present, and look forward to your future without fear.