It must be Spring because it seems like all my metaphors and analogies revolve around flowers and trees and gardening. This one is about grass. Deal with it. It works.

The grass on our lawn is growing. Its starting to come in nicely. It’s a big deal. We bought this house because we could visualize our children growing up, playing on it, and building lifelong memories. But we saw those memories happening on lusciously manicured golf course like greens… which is NOT what our lawn looks like now.

The house was rehabbed, the lawn, however, not so much. It had every weed imaginable and when we purchased the house everything was covered in decades of pine needles. Pine needles if you don’t know are lawn killers. They suffocate the soil and make it near impossible for healthy grass to grow because of the pH levels of the needles. So when we bought it back in November I did my best to clear away as much as I could before laying grass seed across the entire lawn. Despite my efforts, come Spring, there were still plenty of bald spots.

Here’s where it gets weird.

I know that the grass seed didn’t take in those areas. I know that the old soil won out and that those barren areas need new seed. But I’ve kept watering those areas anyway. In fact, my inclination is to water those areas more than the thicker healthy grass.

Why?

Misguided optimism and faulty confidence.

My thought was that there must have been seed there, it just hasn’t grown yet. I put seed down, there will eventually be grass. There’s no way that the seeds died because of lack of water, sun, or quality soil. I did the work and my work should and will be rewarded.

There’s no way!

The truth is, my work meant nothing. The soil wasn’t ready to nurture the seed I planted. The soil was dry and brittle and had been stripped of nutrients from years of neglect. In those conditions, nothing grows. So I was left with a choice. Keep watering those patches. OR I could bring in some fresh soil, plant some new seeds, and try again.

I chose the latter.

In applying this to life, it’s easy to make the connection. We spend so much time and energy trying to save or cultivate areas of our life that are simply not ready to bear fruit. Whether it be sinking money into bad investments, or time into bad relationships, there are countless ways we are expecting fruit in areas that are dead. What’s worse is that we EXPECT to see growth in those dead areas.

Why?!?

Misguided optimism and faulty confidence.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t be confident. Or that you shouldn’t be optimistic. But if you stand over some chicken bones and hope for an egg you are probably going to be standing there a while. We need to be honest with ourselves about the work we are doing and the effectiveness of our efforts. It is only when we live in those truths that our dreams will grow from our reality.

For now, stop watering the bald spots, refresh your soil, and plant some new seeds.