Soil (dirt) is incredible. Its function in life is to grow something. Several years ago, I was to speak at a conference about organizational culture, the personality, or the heart, of an organization.

Each of the participants received a small bag of dirt labeled, “Soil from my grandfather’s farm, which has raised rice & soybeans for over 100 years.” This soil, north of Carlisle, still produces incredible & beautiful crops because the soil has been cared for through the years. Each generation of family farmers has been taught the dangers of erosion, weeds & grass, and imbalanced conditions from not caring for the soil.

But this is not new information. God taught this Principle through Proverbs 24:31-34, “…thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins. I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw: A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest —and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.”

The soil is like our heart…it will grow whatever is allowed to grow. The same heart that grows anger, hate, & selfishness can grow kindness, caring and Joy. To have a good & healthy heart (soil) requires choosing to follow the designer & authority of all life, Jesus. In John 14:15 Jesus said, “If you love me, obey my commandments.”

It’s a personal choice. Think on this: Jesus said, ” I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10