From Dirt To Gardens

“Allow Me to pour into you and from your gardens, I will flow.”

When I first came to Jacó, I remember the Lord speaking this truth into me so clearly.

For twenty years, the Lord has poured into this garden of mine in a multitude of ways.

I began as a land of dirt: Anyone would look upon my soil and see hopelessness as a result of my sin. But know that God pursues our dirt-stained hearts and transforms them. He cleanses us with a heavenly rain and makes us new. All because He saw in us what the world had not.

Each species of flowers is a result of different seeds planted by others. God’s hand has guided these people, showing them which seeds go where and how to plant them. Colors in this garden that I had never before seen arose through experiences, both endearing and heart-wrenching. Everything that comes in my path is the root to each beautiful detail that makes up this beautiful oasis. His stems hold us up and carries us through the wind, and let’s us know that through Him- we will not be shaken.

Jacó has already poured so much into this garden, creating in it an abundance of love and growth. Through the locals, sweet testimonies, and the love of our Father, this town has given me new paths to walk upon and new eyes to see what the Lord is doing here.

What keeps this garden alive is the light of our Father and the waters from His Spirit. Jesus wipes out the weeds that I tend to hold on to and He gently shows me that I am much more beautiful without them.

As God uses Jacó to pour into these gardens, He uses the waters that arise to flow from us and into others. This river called Jacó is both on the giving and the receiving ends. Our job is to hand out the roses of the agape love that He has grown in us.

Through my experience in Costa Rica, God has introduced me to a new field that I had never before known. He has taught me to dance in the freedom of who I am and to find joy in the thorns. He has used the locals to illustrate this field through their smiles and their stories. They grab my hands, and they twirl with me. The Son shines on their faces and releases an atmosphere of peace. The Holy Spirit dances with us and teaches us new things about Himself- no matter what positions we are in.

As I get to know the hearts of the locals, I see more of what God is doing inside of them and Jacó. You see, God is a God who attains a spirit of relentless pursuit. He knows us so well and how to rid of the dirt that lies within us. He longs to see an abundance of love rise within us and pour out into others. He chases after us every day, though we may not notice it. Every person experiences this, even if it goes unnoticed. A lot of the locals that I have met are in this process right now, where God is sneaking small glimpses of His Spirit into their hearts- whether they choose to see them or not.

When I hear of the growth of Jacó over the past decade, I can’t help but thank God for His pursuit and vision for Jacó. His plans for the garden of Jacó are much greater than we can dream of. He longs to see the river He pours into Jacó have an overflow into the surrounding communities.

Through Ocean’s Edge ministries, the Lord has shown me how to truly walk upon those rivers and allow them to run through me. He has shown me a confidence in Him like no other and is continually pouring His heart into who I am. My comfort zones have been shaken and my gardens have been flooded with love.

God, indeed, has both poured in and out of these gardens of mine- just as He had promised. For this, I am so thankful.