(Originally written and shared via social media on October 13, 2013 as I pressed to complete my Bachelor degree studies.) As I read over my memories, this was so profound I knew I needed to share it here.

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I studied the different ways in which people learn a long time ago. I thought I had finished that class – taught by the holy spirit – I guess i found myself in an advanced class…

kindergarten was so much easier…

when talking about… death to oneself…
this is what it feels / looks like… it is a time period of stretching.

God is pushing and pulling us to grow, to expand, to push through hardened ground and reach up and dig down at the same time
to overcome the elements

wind is the first to hit us (peoples comments) and sometimes that wind is harsh and not a gentle breeze

then the sun hits us next (peoples judgments) which can be harsh as they dont perceive the truth of whats really going on. they only see what things look like to them because they can only see the outside and not the work being done on the inside (if they dont take time to listen because out of the mouth the heart speaks)

the water which is much needed (love, compassion, and understanding) can be scarce, so when we find it we soak it up as if we were starving for it.
and we lean to and cling to the areas where we find water.

its all a part of growing up.. in the LORD and letting go of old limbs and old nutrient depleted dirt in favor of richer soils

its all a part of pushing past the hardened areas (in our heart) as we expand and excel… growing up in the LORD

we can choose to not grow. we can choose to stay planted where we are and not spread out… but to do so limits us and eventually we will whither up and die…

this is why we need to continually break up the ground of our hearts with God’s Word and at times others come to work on our gardens too.

but we have to be careful.

when we work on our gardens we need to not be afraid to dig deep even though there are sore spots. breaking up the ground around the sore spots will allow those sore spots to heal and get stronger so that they wont hurt anymore.

and when others work in and on our gardens they need to be careful not to be too rough because they can accidentally injure a root. digging from the outside, you cannot see the roots under the ground, so not being gentle, not be careful, you might break, kill, or uproot a root that was healthy… thus the sore spots mentioned above.

omg… and i do have a plant that needs to be repotted badly. It was in my bathroom and I moved it to my kitchen because it is huge….

I hear you GOD I have to work on it immediately… because working on it will be symbolic of working on myself in the spirit realm. I have got to do that ASAP

This is what was birthed… I hope that this that I birthed proves to be a blessing to someone else who is laboring to deliver.