Dead-Heading Tips & A Giveaway

If you’ve popped over from my Encouragement For Today devotion, welcome! If you haven’t click here to read it. Then be sure to come back! :-) And if you’d like to receive my posts in your email box, click on one of the first three icons under the word ‘subscribe’ at the top of the sidebar.

Is your spiritual life in need of a good dead-heading? Try these 5 tips:

~ Realize growth never happens without death. Just as a seed must ‘die’ before it begins to germinate and grow, we often need to go through pruning seasons in our spiritual lives. Death must happen–of our selfish desires, our wishes, our rights, our reoccurring sin struggles. Rather than be frustrated, thank God for the pruning process that brings forth new, vibrant life.

~ Nip early. You know when you are beginning to drop your guard and let negative thoughts, destructive habits or counter-productive behaviors seep in to your life. At the first sign of it, stop. Think through the consequences that will occur. Call a friend for accountability. Go take a walk. Divert yourself. Think before you react. Sin must be stopped early before it snowballs, taking many others in its path and leaving a wake of destruction.

~Fertilize often. Plant God’s word in your heart and mind. Saturate yourself with scripture. Place a sticky note on your mirror. Make it your computer’s screen saver. Turn it into wallpaper for your cell phone. Also take longer periods each day to read and absorb God’s directions to us in His word, the Bible. We cannot grow properly if we don’t feed our souls scripture. And they certainly can’t thrive on a steady diet of the world’s offerings.

~Water regularly. Wash your soul in the forgiveness only Jesus can offer. Go to Him and repent (which is a fancy term for changing your mind about sin). Decide you no longer think sin is no big deal. Wipe the slate clean and begin again. Be sure to ask for forgiveness from anyone you may have wronged. (Ouch!)

~Emit a sweet scent. When you react differently, even pleasantly, when you are bumped, wronged or slighted, you stand out as stars among the universe. Others won’t quite know what to do with you when you return a blessing for a curse. The aroma of Christ will permeate the air and draw others to Himself.

Are you ready to give your heart a good dead-heading? The results are simply beautiful!

Now for the giveaway! Here is a garden-themed gift package one of you reading this will win. It includes items to pamper your hands, your feet & yourself after a long day working in the garden including:

~ Cucumber-Melon Bath & Bodyworks shower cream.

~ Crisp cucumber Bath & Bodyworks hand lotion.

~ Garden Grogg coffee–a blend of butterscotch, hazelnut & caramel.

~ A bloomin’ flower card. You plant the actual card and it grows a variety of flowers & herbs.

~ A pumice bar & emery boards.

~ Some cucumber-mint foot scrub.

~ A foot-shaped scrub brush.

To be entered in the giveaway, leave a comment telling us either your favorite flower, herb or vegetable to grow. Mine would have to be either pineapple sage or chocolate-mint. You?

318 Comments

  1. I love to grow perennials because they grow year after year. We anticipate the their blooms because they mark each season. The crocus spring forth life through dead matter, just as the snow is melting; the daffodils say, “Easter is near!”; the day lillies ever blooming through the hot summer days and the mums let us know that Thanksgiving is just around the corner. They rely on God’s grace to grow and every year they multiply and bloom more beautifully than the last. They are a reminder of how I must rely on Him fully, so that my life may glorify Him fully.

  2. My mom sent me a box of flowers she had recieved after she was in the hospital. It was just a box of dirt with bulbs in it. I planted them and was graced with beautiful lillies the next year. I love lillies and have many shapes and colors. They brighten my life. Thank you!

  3. Thank you for the lovely devotional this morning. It was just what I needed today. Although, I love our rose bushes, this year we planted some hibiscus and those are beautiful, too. All God’s flowers and creation are so beautiful. I’m so thankful He gives us all things to enjoy. Maybe next year will try some herbs, those looked so good in your pictures!

  4. This is great.
    I love to grow tomatoes. It seems no matter where I have lived I have had at least one tomato plant. They are just so good when they first come off the vine.
    I like your selection in the giveaway.

  5. Good grief this was what I needed. I am a nurse of 32 years. After working an extra shift the other day I was “low-down”. Somedays I just get tired of taking care of other people!! How blessed we are that our Heavenly Father never tires taking care of us!! Yep–I needed to “dead-head”!! My favorite flower (being from the South) is the Gardenia.

  6. My favorite things to grow are
    Fresh basil and rosemary
    Tomatoes squash okra
    Gardening is wonderful and my family all does it together. We have prayed over our garden and enjoy the bounty that God provides!

  7. I discovered my love of gardening about three years ago and I’ve tried to maintain it despite living in an apartment. My favorite is the tomato since it’s so easy to grow in containers, lol.

  8. Great devotional that I needed! Favorite flower is gladiola, but I grow petunias and geraniums that I love!

  9. Gotta love hibiscus here in South Texas. All different colors, all different sized blooms – talk about lively variety!

  10. I love fragrant beautiful blooming flowers & to see the comparison to spiritual “blooming” is eye opening! Thank you for the reminder to “dead head” ( that was a chore of mine as a little girl for my Momma & Grannie!)!
    I like pansies ( their sweet “faces” always cheers my heart!)! And marigolds ( their pungent fragrance…ummmm nice !)

  11. I don’t have a favorite plant but my favorite thing about gardening is the people I get to garden with. I have a friend, Kathryn, that helped me put in 2 flower gardens and we had a wonderful time together. We even gardened in the moon light. I also have a friend, Donna, that helped me put in a vegetable garden. We worked hard to get the soil ready and we can’t wait to see our product.
    As I water everyday, I thank God for my beautiful gardens and the friends that helped bring them to creation.

  12. Rosemary’s aroma makes it my favorite herb to grow. I have been completely incapacitated by a spine problem for 4 months. God has blessed me during all of this time by giving me great doses of His word. There has been a lot of opportunity for deadheading as well. Before this happened, I was praying for Him to show me the direction He wants my life to take. I think he might use this to repot me soon!
    Thanks so much for the idea. I will begin tying verses to my weaknesses!!!!

  13. Thank you for this devotion, Karen, and your tips for spiritual gardening! God worked through you to reach me.

    Regarding physical gardening, I love any plant that will grow for me! My thumb is black and it is only by God’s Hand that green things survive under my care. My favorite plant to grow was an Easter Egg Plant!

  14. Thank you for another amazing devotion, Karen.

    Flowers are extra special to me since my Mom and I always chose them and planted them together, and then cared for them throughout the summer – she passed away in 2001 and I miss her every day; especially when I see flowers.

    My favorite flower to grow is the pansy, because Mom always said they were the happiest looking flower – “like they were always laughing!”

    My favorite herb to grow is basil, because it smells so good.

  15. I truly love all flowers and herbs but one that I love having in my herb garden is Rosemary. I love its smell when you cut it. I cook with it several times a week and I love sharing it with others. Sometimes I will cut a few twigs and give them to family or maybe dry them to use later. I also love to drop a few twigs in hot tea, let it steep for a while and then pour over ice! YUM

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