"I said, "Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love. Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the Lord, that He may come and shower righteousness upon you." Hosea 10:12 (NLT)
I'd received 5 rejections from publishers in 5 days. While my heart attempted to cling to any morsel of hope or positivity, my mind crumbled. Anxious thoughts and discouraging words washed out anything I had left:
You'll never make it as an author.
You heard God wrong.
Just face it, you'll never be popular enough to have a best-selling book.
With every rejection letter, small tears streamed down my cheeks. One more knock on my lack of platform and I knew I'd be down for the count. Can you relate?
Maybe for you, your week of discouragement hasn't been with pending publishers but a challenging work situation. Perhaps your boss has laid on the criticisms without any praise, or your co-workers have decided to throw you under the bus.
Maybe you're a student struggling to keep your head above the waves. You feel like you're trying to be a light for Jesus, but the persecution is getting to you. You feel isolated, lonely, and afraid.
Or maybe you feel like your marriage is failing. You and your husband haven't seen eye-to-eye for weeks and it's wearing on you, your relationships with each other, and your relationship with God. Last night's fifth argument of the week has left you questioning if marriage is even worth it. You're trying to reflect Jesus' love through your marriage, but what do you do when that love itself is lacking?
If you can relate to any or all of these questions, you're in good company.
Jesus never promised that this life would be easy. The first part of John 16:33 makes that crystal clear. In this world, we will have trouble: "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (NIV).
It isn't a no, or maybe, but a when. That trouble can come in the form of mental or physical health struggles, but also small arguments and disagreements. I believe that's why King Solomon even reminded us to beware of the "little foxes." That is, to catch the small stuff before it becomes the big stuff: "Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes" (Song of Solomon 2:15, KJV).
But what do all these difficulties have in common with planting seeds?
In Hosea 10:12, Hosea the prophet explores how Israel’s unfaithfulness relates to God’s compassion. More specifically, chapter 10 calls God's people (the Israelites) to repent from sin, plow the ground, and choose to plant good seeds. This would require Israel to do four things:
1. Turn from sin.
2. Soften their hearts.
3. Plow the ground.
4. Plant seeds.
While getting rejections from publishers, having a bad day with your boss, or engaging in a heated discussion with your spouse may not stem from sin, Hosea reminds us that it's important to guard and check our hearts. Life comes with disappointments and tragedies. With and without sin. Job teaches us this well.
Like David, Job was a man after God's own heart. And though he was cursed by the world, he never cursed his God. Job faced incredibly traumatic pain and loss—but none of it was due to sin. There will be times when the things you face aren't a result of doing something wrong but simply living in a broken and fallen world.
If we find that we are in the wrong, however, Hosea reminds us to turn from sin—repent so that the stony parts of our hearts may be softened. With soft hearts, we become more receptive to hearing what others say. We listen to God more authentically and realize that we're living for Him and not our interests. If we're already in this state, we can quickly move into plowing the ground and planting seeds. And the seeds we plant, in victory and tragedy, are still seeds. Each one plays a role in the future of what is produced from our lives.
The day after I received 5 rejections, I acted flustered towards my spouse. He hadn't done anything inherently wrong, but I was hurting and snapped. I needed to plow up the hard ground of my heart at that moment. Not because getting rejected by publishers was a sin, but because my behavior in response was.
Later that day, my agent called me. She could sense something was off and wanted to encourage me in this process. I'll never forget the words she said: "Rejections or not, you're planting seeds now. God is going to get this book where it needs to be and we trust Him. It can be painful, but it'll be worth it in the end."
Today, my prayer for you is very similar. I don't know what hardships or life circumstances you're facing, but I know that you're planting seeds in the work you're doing. Some immediately fall into fertile soil while others fall into shallow places that need a little extra help getting redirected. Regardless of the time and patience it takes, if we plant seeds of righteousness with pure motives, open hearts, and authentic spirits, we will harvest a crop of love. A crop of exactly what God has in store for us.
There are going to be times that it's painful. Times when we can barely see the seed sprouting into a baby shoot. But God is going to get you exactly where you need to be, and we trust Him.
Let's pray:
Dear Jesus,
Plow up the ground of our hearts so we can plant the good seeds of righteousness that you have in store for each of us. Though discouraging times may come, we trust that if we're in your will, your plans for us will come to fruition. We will harvest not only an abundance of love, but abundantly more than we could ever ask, think, or imagine. Your plans for us are good, and we will recite that over the anxieties that fill our souls. Thank you, Jesus! Amen.
Agape, Amber
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/lovelyday12
Related Resource: Anxiety: Practical Steps for Healing in Christ
Anxiety is debilitating and can leave us feeling overwhelmed, alone, and defeated. But what if there were practical steps and biblical truths that could lessen the load and aid us in our freedom journeys with mental health struggles? Pastor and Licensed Professional Counselor Susan Thomas joins me to discuss this today! Like what you hear? Subscribe to Bought + Beloved with Kirby Kelly on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
Originally published Tuesday, 28 January 2025.
SHARE
