Treating Soil

I (Will) just got back from a week long training in Florida at ECHO (www.echonet.org).  ECHO’s exists as a resource for development workers in the field of agriculture as a resource for training and information. I learned all the basics about tropical agriculture development.

One of the main topics we focused on was soil health. As a person who hasn’t ever worked in agriculture I was a bit surprised at how much of our time was spent on that topic. However, as they explained the importance of the soil it became evident it is where most of our attention should be.

The soil contains most of the items needed for the life and health of the plant. The health of the soil directly impacts the health of the fruit produced. If you see issues in the fruit you know something has gone wrong in the soil and to fix the fruit, you must address the soil.

As I learned all this and more, I couldn’t help but see the correlation between this and what God does in us.

God’s main concern is with my heart, not the fruit of my life. That isn’t to say He doesn’t care about what I do but His focus isn’t on actions, it’s on my heart. Just like if there is healthy soil the fruit will be healthy (generally) God knows if my heart is set on Him and believing truth, the fruit of my life will be healthy as well.

So, as I pay more attention to what is going on in my heart (the soil) the result will be more God honoring actions (the fruit).

“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”   1 Samuel 16:7