Hard graft and bitterness is how my day began in this garden. There was some sweetness added in as the day progressed and then pow, more bitterness. And then I found that it was about me. It was about me growing stronger in my boundaries. It was about me facing the truth, maybe another is to blame, but it isn’t about them. I must not hold to any people pleasing ways and must grow. I have tolerated too much for too long and taught the improper treatment of myself, but I did the best to rise above out of narcissistic abuse and my own codependency. I found it was about me, and not another. So I am growing and I yield to God’s working these out of my life. Standing looking at this garden at the end of the day, the work is worth it and I chose the work, the surprises, the pain, and the beauty!
Tag: Jesus
-
Improvise!
There was a task in my garden that I was working on today. I ran into problems with my equipment. No matter what I did, the fix did not come. I did not feel at peace with just hanging up the hat today either, so I rested and prayed. In the end I had to improvise to accomplish the task. Rest, guidance, perseverance and one step forward in faith, this worked for me today. In the garden of your life, I pray you find the insight you need to walk into all that God has for you! Happy Gardening friend!!
-
Unrecognizable
Tonight, I am sitting watching the sun set over my garden. The planting will need to be watched over. I will need to keep out pests and weed it from time to time. Not just that previously neglected patch, but the whole thing. I have been learning new skills each day and I am in awe of the work God is doing in me. I am growing more unrecognizable every day, and I like that!
-
More Surprises!
I have been planting seeds the last couple of days, in the spot that had been neglected and in another’s garden. I am very happy that I have gotten to this stage. There was a bit of an interruption, and it was rough. I found after clearing the land and getting the boundaries reestablished that one of the main corner trees had to come down. Oh my, at any other time I think the removal of this tree could have broke me, but it happened so suddenly and when the rot was exposed I realized I had prepared for this removal, eventually. With not much thought we pulled that tree out, and then the next day my emotions had to catch up. I almost regretted it, but I gave a few more minutes to the distress and loss and quickly moved past into the new. Now this tree was a part of the boundary and a staple, but to my surprise I found the head gardener had been working on the boundary behind the scenes to help me. Jesus is so good. Everything is ok and another new stage of life and this garden have begun and I am back to planting! So many twists and turns, and it is all progress!
-
Healing My Garden
Yesterday, I reestablished the fence and borders in a neglected part of my garden. Now it is time to till the soil of that cleared ground. Today I am focused on removing the stones and leveling the ground. The gentle rain that fell through the night has revealed the uneven places and bitter places (stones). These both are a natural part of the process, but not to be the final outcome in my garden. Every step in order and at the proper time. And who knows, maybe tomorrow it will be time to sow! Lord help me on this step and the next too!!
-
Garden in Disrepair
I wasn’t aware of a patch of my garden that I was brought to today. It was painful to see the state it was in. It looked over grown with weeds and a bit pillaged and plundered, if I am honest! I guess at some point I had put up a chain linked fence surrounding the chaos and walked away. I think I did the best I knew to do, but today I had to start clearing the ground! I began to pull the weeds up and now I am tilling the ground, next tonight, is that fence, it is coming down. I believe tomorrow I will put a little picket fence and a row of hedges running parallel to that with some large trees behind as an extra level of protection and beauty to the boundaries. I pray you tend to the garden of your life today too friend! Jesus is an excellent gardener!
-
Moving Forward!
It wasn’t comfortable letting go of the old. Sometimes it isn’t. Today, however, I am on the other side of the new. That is sweet. I am glad to have let go, I am joy filled to have embraced the new! Through the process I have learned to make quicker moves into the alignments that my Father has for me. I am feeling less critical of myself and more confident. I am finding the more I follow him, the less of me I have to contend with! It is just the beginning! I hope you find yourself following Jesus’ plan for your life, you are special and you matter!
I am including a link to my new Rumble channel: Art Therapy With Krista! Come fly with me!!
-
Pivot
I hear the call to pivot today, and so soon after my last! It is so much wiser and peace filled to answer the call from Jesus to make a quick change. I am thinking differently about this now. I used to look at myself and wonder what I did wrong. Now I think “You know best Lord”, and I immediately pivot! It is instruction and he sees everything, it’s wisdom to follow. Honestly I am celebrating now after the pivot because it means he is leading me and I am hearing him! If you find yourself being instructed to pivot in an area of your life, I want to encourage you to make the adjustments. You are in good company! I think the more I hear, listen, and move as he directs I am becoming even more undignified and I like it!
-
Restoring the Garden
Removals must happen in the restoration of a garden. Maybe one begins with pulling up weeds and pruning branches. Then, like the garden of my life, bigger plants and trees are sometimes needed to be removed if they are dead or causing the majority of the garden to wither and fade. All is cleared, and soil is being worked in preparation for new planting, that is where I am at. It is wonderful. It was not an easy process. It is hard to let go of what you wanted your garden to be and what you wanted planted that did not work out, but make no mistake this garden will be beautiful and fruitful and free! So, friend, start the process, let the removals continue and clear away the clutter. Yield to the Lords plans and your garden will be fruitful and beautiful too. A place to be free and thrive, yours and his! Like me when the clearing is done, you may find surprises that were planted there and are already springing up!
-
Sanctified Emotions
Today I learned that when God is pressing on my emotions, it isn’t as I was lead to believe. Compassion doesn’t mean what I thought it should. Sometimes he is wanting me to pray and intercede. He isn’t always wanting me to allow people back in and dream about it, no he wants me protected and whole. I understood that yielding myself and emotions to him is good, but it doesn’t mean what I thought it did. Yes, it is maturity, and it is also protection and liberation from narcissistic abuse. I am so grateful to understand this today. Of course my emotions, feelings, longings, and needs have also been used by me and others to get me back in the grasp of the narcissist or toxic people, but not anymore. Now, I can be me, be used by God and effective, but remain protected with strong boundaries. This is a miracle for me. I pray you would have insight into you and how you have been talked into things, people and places that you don’t belong in, and insight into the growth God has worked in you!
Butterfly Vuela 