No Seeds, No Harvest

Originally Written on Wed Jul 8, 2009

Good morning family. I hope that you all are doing well on this fine Hump Day!

 ...[Edit:  The scripture that I originally used for this post was not used in the correct context.  As such, it has been deleted, but for the readers information, it was Matthew 13:24-30]...

If you don't know (or do know), this year was the first year that we, The Halls, have started gardening. I had been talking about doing it for years and had never done it. This year, we finally got the gears in motion, to get it done. For me, it has become a pet project because the gardening aspect is almost soothing and relaxing in a way. However, this morning as I leaned against the glass door and looked at it, the Holy Spirit spoke something else to me that never crossed my mind. In short. If you never plant a seed, you can never expect a harvest. This pertains to the garden, but it is a lot larger than the garden. It applies to all aspects of our lives.

All Talk, No Action

If you recall, I said I had been talking about gardening for years but that's it. We all can talk a good game and we all have lots of great intentions in our lives, but if all we do is talk then we have done nothing but blown hot air. I hate to say that about myself but if the shoe fits.....As long as we continue to talk about the things we would like to do, or desire, or enjoy it'll be just that...talk only. In order to get going, we must first get started and sometimes [we'll do many forms of self-sabotage to] convince [ourselves] why [we] shouldn't get started.

Planting the Seed

Well if we've gotten past the lip action, we've started to sow seed. We've at least gotten started which is a step past where we were. In life we often have lofty goals, but majority of the time, we never get started. If we can plant the seed then we can at least step back and feel some sort of progress has been made.

Cultivation

I think we all wish everything was as easy as an infomercial -- "Set it and forget it" -- but we know life is hardly ever that easy. This is just the same with the garden. If we just tossed seeds out and never did anything else to them, chances are we probably will not be able to reap a harvest. While going through the growing process, any seeds we plant have to be nurtured. Weeds will try to creep into your garden. Birds will try to eat your seed. Some seeds just will not grow because they are duds, however, this is out of your control. A lot of the times it will be a constant battle and some you will lose but some you will win. What is important is that you are caring for your crop. The more you do, the more you learn, and the better you are equipped to care for your garden. For example, I had no idea that tomatoes and egg plant can carry a disease that be harmful to other fruit such as strawberries if sown in the same soil. Chances are that if we had never started gardening I would not know this nice little tid bit.

Reaping Your Harvest

We are in the sit and wait phase on most of our crop (while cultivating of course), but we've been eating strawberries for about 2 months now! The other items are still growing, but it's been a good learning curve and nurturing going on. Every day there may be a different thing to do, but thanks to sowing the initial seeds, we have an expectation that a harvest will come. In due time, we will be eating out of the majority of the vegetables from our garden.

Now what does this have to do with anything you may ask? Try replacing the seeds you plant into the ground with the seeds of your life. Is there something you've always wanted to do but have never done it? Well the seeds are in you, you just have to plant them to get started. If you never get started on anything you wanted to do in life, you will never be able to look back at the starting line or see the finish line. There will be obstacles to hender your progress, but you have to keep pressing on until the growing cycle is finished. For me, I am now in an "Expectation" mode because I have planted first and now I see the finish line in sight. However, if I never got started, I would never have this expectation that there will be a harvest. Getting past the starting point can be a big hurdle because of life's circumstances and/or just plain excuses, but the key is to start. If you start, your expectations may drive you to a harvest time.

Be blessed folks and have a good one.

Regards,

Antoine E. Hall

"It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect." - 2 Samuel 22:33

* Seed Image Courtesy of WikiMedia Commons

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What's Holding You Back?

Image Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Since I have been going through physical therapy to get motion back into my toe, I have learned a few things.  The first thing I learned was that sometimes pain is necessary as a part of progress (see my post on pain).  Well, this week, I started doing more activities at my appointments that involve jumping, lunging, and other agility exercises.  This leads me to the next issue that I have learned to handle and that is overcoming obstacles.

Some of the most difficult things that we deal with in life are obstacles.  You know, things that get in the way of progress.  Sometimes they are physical barriers that block us from moving forward and then there are times where they are mental blockers.  In my case, my obstacle was both mental and physical.  See, once I had surgery, I was limited with my motion because of my physical condition.  In my brain, I became use to my condition and mentally trained myself to protect my foot and to not do anything to cause harm or re-injure it.  I mean that makes perfectly good sense right?  Anyone who has had any type of injury goes to great lengths to protect that body part.

However, physical conditions typically heal while leaving mental obstacles behind.  To me, I could not jump or apply force to my foot because it was still healing.  I felt a little discomfort at times, so clearly I was not ready, or so I thought.  My fear was that at this point I would still injure myself if I became too physical on my feet.  

This is why we have people around us to help us see the potential in ourselves that we cannot otherwise see. My PT knew what I was capable of doing at this point of my recovery.  The only issue was that I was not confident in my ability of what I could do.  My body was ready, but my mind needed a little push to get over the hill.  Needless to say, I lunged, jumped, moved, balanced, and did a host of things this past Monday, however, if I was not urged to break down the mental barrier I would have never overcame it.

We can be the biggest obstacles to our own movement forward.  It can seem like a daunting task to tear down the barriers that we have created, but if we never attempt to overcome then we will always be stuck where we are.  Do not let your thoughts of what you think you can do place limits in your life.  So, what's holding you back today and what's your plan for overcoming it?

Matthew 17:20  "And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you."  

Be Blessed,

Antoine E. Hall

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One of the coolest things to know is that history is on your side.  What history does for us is provide a record of what happened prior to the lead-up to where you are right now.  The question is what are you choosing to do with it?  Sometimes, we do not think about it much, but the way we carry ourselves through life has a big dependency on our past.  And, this does not just apply to individuals, but it can apply to groups, organizations, and companies as well.

The bad thing about the past is that some can dwell on it, do nothing in the future because of it, and/or let it control all the negative aspects of their life.  For example, someone who has been abused throughout their childhood may grow up to be abusive to their children or others around them.  Or, an organization could have done great things in the past that brought them to a position of major prominence or prestige.  The issue is that rather than continuing excellence, that group could rest on what was done and never continue to move forward creating new history.  The next thing you know the group is floundering and not as successful because they've rested on their past and what it did for them decades ago.

The great thing is that history can be a good learning moment.  Those same examples above could be spun into positive movements forward. The person who was abused could choose to let their past help positively shape their future in a way that:  1) helps them or others around them to not go through abuse, or 2) help them to recover from abusive relationships.  The organization that could have failed because of resting on their laurels could use their great past and history as a learning platform on how to continue to create positive history to continuously propel their group forward.  It is all a matter of which side you choose.

You can make a choice to allow your past to positively propel you in life or you can let it negatively drag you down. My questions for you are how does your past shape your life or group and which side do you fall on??

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Where Is Your Heart?

As I walked down the side walk on the way into work this morning, something hit me that I should do.  As I thought about this idea, it struck me how much effort and thought I put into it.  It was so easy to plan and conjure more ideas of how to make the previous idea work! It is amazing that the things we are passionate about are so easy to do.  It doesn't take much to put your best foot forward when you are moving forward towards something where your heart is.

In book of Matthew, Jesus speaks to a multitude of people about a range of subjects.  One of those subjects is about storing your treasures in heaven:

Matthew 6:19-21  - "(19) “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. (20) But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. (21) For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Man, this is so simple and makes so much sense because Jesus places this exactly where normal people can understand it.  Verse 21 is where I would like to focus, because it has more implications in our every day lives than we care to understand.  Your treasures can be your physical money or possessions.  Your treasure could also be your time and where you spend the most time can also tell where your heart is. 

Everything that you do links back to our values and the things about which we are passionate.  Whether it be for good or for bad, you heart is somewhere.  The question is where is your heart?  What drives or motivates you?  What do you wake up in the morning and think you absolutely need to get done today?  It never hurts to do some objective self-reviewing because as we move through life, we can do so obliviously at times.  Today, take a step back.  Take a little time to re-evaluate where you are placing your treasures.  After all, if you find where are your treasures, there you will also find your heart.

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