Lessons of spiritual flourishing come at work and play, in parenting, grandparenting, and friendship—really anywhere. Jesus guides and infuses all of life—there is no separation between spiritual life and the rest of life. Therefore, when Sue and Linda asked me to join The Sublime Soiree as a guest blogger this month on the theme of Flourishing, my past as a landscape designer immediately reminded me of the three keys to a successful landscape.
When I was a landscape designer, I interviewed clients to discover their goals, budget, style, and how they planned to use their landscape. It was my job to produce a drawing that met their goals and to present a master plan that reflected and elevated their own taste. After exploring their dreams and vision for their landscape, often the client would tag on the off-hand comment, “Oh, and it has to be low maintenance.”
That’s when I would stop the interview and tell them the three keys to a successful landscape: design, proper installation, and maintenance. Then, I would ask which they thought was the most important. Because I was a designer, my clients often assumed I was leading them to say that design was the most important. Sometimes, they would believe that finding the best installer was the key. My response: “There is no such thing as low maintenance.”
Maintenance is the most important factor for success. It is only a matter of who will do the maintenance. Hardscape will need to be sealed, stained, pressure washed, and repaired. Plants will need to be fertilized, pruned, and divided. Beds will need to be mulched, edged, and weeded. Lawns will need to be fertilized, weeded, and mown. If this isn’t done regularly, even the most beautifully designed and professionally installed landscape will become an over-grown, ramshackle mess in a matter of months.
What is the spiritual lesson? Regular spiritual maintenance is vital for flourishing. No arena event, weekend retreat, amazing speaker, or incredible concert can substitute for daily, weekly maintenance of your soul. Sue and Linda are exploring this beautifully with their BLOOM acronym. I’ll be even more simple. You must clean, feed, and weed. As you do this, having fellow workers will multiply your efforts.
Clean by self-examination and regular confession of sin. In 1 John 1:8-10 it reminds us that when we deny our sin we call God a liar. However, if (and I emphasize the if) we confess our sin he will forgive us and cleanse us. So be ready to embrace any conviction of sin lovingly brought to you by the Holy Spirit or by friends. Galatians 6 reminds us that this happens in community. When we are caught in sin, others are there to help us see it and be restored. Agree with God through confession and repentance. Be eager for cleansing!
Feed by regularly reading and studying the Word of God for yourself. Feeding also includes fellowship with the Lord and others in prayer. When we abide in Jesus, seeking his will and his ways through prayer and obedience to the Word, he fellowships with us and reveals himself to us to feed and sustain us through his Spirit. (Check out John 14-15 for more on this.) I do most of the maintenance in my landscape, but sometimes my husband helps. I tell him when he helps it is like being on the moving walkway in the airport. I’m walking but I’m going much faster than the effort I am exerting. Feeding through prayer and the Word in groups provides a similar boost by providing accountability, the richness of others’ insight, and love.
Weed by relentlessly editing what goes on in your mind. The parable of the soils in Matthew 13 tells us that the cares and deceitfulness of the world will choke out the Word. Therefore, be a keen judge of the culture around you rejecting what distracts and deceives. Philippians 4 reminds us that a similar editing needs to happen with your own thoughts. Don’t believe everything you think. Instead, process your anxious thoughts with prayer, thanksgiving, and by redirecting your mind to all that is lovely and true. Lastly, weed out the activities that fill your life yet thwart flourishing. Busyness is often the enemy of true spiritual progress, Holy Spirit-guided service, and fruit-bearing. Weeding means that you say “no” sometimes— to your own thoughts, the influences of the world, and the demand of others—in order to say “yes” to the Spirit of God.
Friends of The Sublime Soiree, there is no such thing as low maintenance. Gather a maintenance crew. It’s time to get your hands dirty and flourish.
— Cara Smith for The Sublime Soiree, (c) May 2025
