The Thriving Christian Artist
The Thriving Christian Artist
Embracing Fallow Seasons: Finding Spiritual Renewal and Growth
Have you ever wondered why certain seasons in life feel unproductive and barren? Join us on this enlightening episode of the Thriving Christian Artist, where we uncover the hidden value of these fallow periods. Inspired by biblical principles from Leviticus 25 and personal stories, we reveal how these times of rest and renewal are crucial for preparing us for future growth and productivity. Learn how to navigate the enemy's tactics of doubt and reaffirm your identity in Christ, as we discuss the necessity of stepping away from constant busyness to realign with God's timing and voice.
Get your copy of my best selling book on the Kingdom of God, God's Plan for Living and the accompanying devotional, Awakening to God's Kingdom Within now on Amazon:
- https://www.amazon.com/Gods-Plan-Living-Roadmap-Kingdom/dp/B0BZ34CNFY
- https://www.amazon.com/Awakening-Gods-Kingdom-Within-Encouragement/dp/B0C9S7PH84
Discover the spiritual significance of fallow seasons as outlined in Jeremiah 29:11. Even when God's hand seems absent, His heart is ever-present, guiding us through periods of healing and recovery. Reflecting on scriptures such as Psalm 23 and Philippians 1:6, we dive into personal experiences and insights on how these dormant times help us deepen our relationship with God, address wounds, and shift mindsets in preparation for His blessings. Embrace these moments as opportunities for spiritual growth and the fulfillment of God's promises, trusting that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion.
Dive into practical steps for embracing divine rest through the stories of biblical figures like Noah and Abraham. Understand that rest is not a sign of weakness but a reflection of God's own rhythm. We'll share tips on seeking God's presence, the benefits of journaling, and the importance of community connection. Find joy and rejuvenation in life-giving activities, trusting in God's guidance and provision. Finally, stay connected and inspired by following us on social media and exploring resources at matttommymentoring.com. This episode is a call to artists everywhere to thrive by embracing every season of life with unwavering faith and trust in God's promises.
Join us inside the Created to Thrive Artist Mentoring Program at http://www.matttommeymentoring.com/artmentor
Welcome to the Thriving Christian Artist, the podcast, where we hope you connect with God to bust through the roadblocks that have held you back for years, create the work you love and really live the life you know. God created you to live as an artist in His kingdom. I'm Matt Tama, your host. Let's get started. Well, hey, my friend, welcome to the podcast. I'm Matt Tama, your host, and super glad that you are with me today. To the podcast I'm Matt Tommy, your host, and super glad that you are with me today. Listen, I wanted to take a little bit of time and talk about something that I don't think we talk enough about, which is doing nothing, specifically, sort of these seasons in life that we go through that seem many people call it a fallow season or fallow ground in our life. Unless you feel like, oh, not me, I try to keep productive and keep producing, no matter what. Listen, that's been me for a lot of years, but I think one of the things that the Lord is teaching me and Tanya, both in this season that we're walking through right now, is that it's good to have seasons of unfruitfulness, it's good to let the ground of your life, the ground of your vocation, the ground of your calling your assignment rest. Even in Leviticus 25, you know, the Lord calls the people of Israel to, every seventh year, let the ground rest. Why? Because you can't be fruitful all of the time. In fact, I remember a couple of years ago when we moved out here to Texas and we're beginning maybe not quite beginning, but sort of in the, in the throes of of transition, moving out here and our business and life and my art and all the, all those things were really starting to change in our life. And I remember calling a friend of mine, ray Hughes, who's been a mentor of mine for years and just was bemoaning the fact of what am I doing and what am I going through, and this is crazy and life doesn't feel the same and I don't feel as fruitful and all this sort of thing. And he began to really speak into my life a lot of wisdom about you know how trees and plants and vines listen, we're not. They're not made to be fruitful all the time. In fact, he told me about a study that a university had done that tried to get a fruit tree to be fruitful in every season and they got it to do it for one year and at the end of that year it died and it was like oh, we're not designed to be fruitful all the time. Life is this series right of seasons, with seasons of fruitfulness and seasons of dormancy, seasons of winter where everything feels covered up, seasons of fall where we're harvesting, seasons of spring where we're planting, seasons of summer where things are growing and look really lush. But I think for all of us, no matter where you find yourself in the body of Christ, you have to start realizing that, as we walk with the Lord, we're going to have to learn to embrace and understand the seasons of life that we walk through, and you can't expect every season to be a fruitful season.
Speaker 1:Now, what does the enemy want to do? Well, of course, the enemy does what he always does, which is wanting to bring doubt and confusion and accusation. He wants to accuse you of not being enough. He wants to say that somehow this fallow season or this season of rest that you're going through is because you've done something wrong. But nothing could be further from the truth. That's why identity, I mean.
Speaker 1:We talk about it so much in my mentoring program and on the podcast and in books, everywhere I'm always talking about identity. Why? Because unless you know who you are in Christ and what God's called you to, you will be thrown to the side and thrown off balance by the changing of seasons in your life and the things that the enemy wants to do in the middle of those times. And so these times of unfruitfulness, it can feel like of fallow ground. You know these are not unimportant in our life, they're vital. They're vital for us to be able to recharge and renew and reinvest in ourself and learn to rest in all of the goodness of God in our life, separate from what we're producing in our life. These times where we can heal and be restored and re-energized for the future, they are required for all of us.
Speaker 1:Otherwise, you end up either running off of the fumes and the winds from yesterday or you're just trying to strive and make it all happen by yourself. And I'm learning in my own life, at 50 years old and and uh, you know walking through great seasons and walking through challenging seasons. Seasons of rest and seasons of recharging are important, and here's one of the big, big things that the enemy wants to do. The enemy wants to tell you that because you're resting or because you're not as fruitful, you're not as productive in these seasons that somehow God's left you. You're not going to be provided for, you're going to miss out somehow on what God is doing. You're not keeping step with what's going on in the business world and in this world or that world. And if you don't keep going, if you don't keep posting on social media and you don't keep speaking and doing all this, if you don't keep all that circus, if you will going that somehow you're going to miss out on the next big thing. Somehow you're going to miss your calling, miss your opportunity.
Speaker 1:But listen, I would say that it's constant busyness that is much more the culprit in causing us to miss things, if you will, and get off track and miss the timing of things than rest ever has been, because it's in resting is that we learn to hear God's voice again, we learn to go back to the basics. It's in those times when the field of our life, if you will, can feel barren and unproductive. Listen, it's a challenge. It's a challenge for me. It can be disheartening, but you got to keep remembering I'm not defined by what I do. I'm defined by who I am, and who I am is determined by what God has said about me in his word.
Speaker 1:You know, in an agricultural context, fallow ground really refers to land that's been plowed and prepared but left unseeded on purpose in order for that ground to recover its fertility. And you know, god allows these kinds of periods in our life, these seasons in our life where our productivity ceases and we get to be in this sort of spiritually fallow place of spiritual rest and restoration. I mean you can see it all through God's word, right? I mean, think about Moses. Before leading the Israelites out of Egypt, he spent 40 years Lord, please don't let it be 40 years but he spent 40 years in the desert. But this time of on purpose unfruitfulness was a period of preparation and of transformation. It was in the desert that Moses learned what to rely on God and to be equipped to lead his people through their wilderness journey. But he had to be prepared first and the beautiful thing I love watching.
Speaker 1:Whether it's Moses, you know 40 years of the desert. Whether it's David, you know, who spent so many years fleeing from King Saul before he actually got to ascend the throne. Or even Jesus, who had a season of significant preparation before beginning his public ministry, and you know not only the 30 years before he really stepped into ministry. But then 40 days in the wilderness of fasting and praying and dealing with the enemy, in a period of real solitude and testing. But what did it do? It strengthened and prepared them.
Speaker 1:And the beautiful thing was in all of those situations and others, god's goodness is still fully on display. God's provision and his faithfulness are still on display, and still faithful in the middle of seasons where we feel like we don't have anything to bring to the table. To bring to the table. Listen, it's in times of this fallow seasons, this fallow ground, that we learn to really trust, beyond just lip service, god's perfect timing in our life. Remember that verse in Isaiah 40, 31,. We all know it, but it goes like this but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength, they'll mount up on wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. In other words, what Waiting on the Lord is not just lounging around. Waiting on the Lord is not doing just nothing. Waiting on the Lord is not a passive activity, but actually this sort of active engagement in trusting and relying on Him. I'm learning to do that right now.
Speaker 1:You know, things in our life have been in a lot of transition since we've moved to Texas. Things are shifting, things are changing, my heart is pointing in new directions and yet I'm not even sure fully what that looks like. So much of my time right now, which has been for years focused on this real season of favor and influence and impact and touching hundreds of thousands of people around the world, all of a sudden the Lord started shifting that. Not in a way like, matt, you've done something wrong. I'm removing the favor from your life. No, he's just shifting. He said I got something new for you.
Speaker 1:We've had so many different prophetic words over our life that said, yep, you're in transition. God's about to bring another wing to the plane he's lifting. He's, you know, lifting up your, your eyes, to something greater than what you've known so far. Get ready, enjoy the downtime, because it's about to get busy when it does. But it's so interesting, you know, in the day to day for me at least, it can be a challenge, because you're not doing the same things you were doing. You're not, you're not even, maybe, passionate about the same things that you were passionate about. Why? Because God's not only changing the external situations in your life, he's changing the internal framework of your life as well, to be able to disconnect your heart from things that have been great in the past but are maybe not for this new season, and learning to deepen your trust in him so that, when he does bring the new thing along, you're fully ready to embrace it. And that's the thing I I think for me and for so many of us.
Speaker 1:You have to continue to actively renew your mind in these fallow seasons, remembering, like you know, jeremiah 29, 11,. This is for I know the plans that I have for you declares the Lord plans to prosper you, not harm you, to give you a hope and a future. Listen, even when you can't see God's hand actively at work in your life, and even when you don't feel like you're experiencing that flow and that favor and all that you have to remember, you know whoever said the old adage when you can't see his hand, trust his heart. And I think there was an old song from the eighties or something, I don't know, but I've just, I've always remembered that even you know, when you can't see God's hand working in your life, when you're not sure what's going on, that's why we have his word, that's why we have the Holy Spirit resident, living inside of us, never leaving us. Why? Because no matter what's going on, we are still convinced that he loves me, he's for me, he's got plans for me. I just got to keep walking, keep moving, keep trusting his heart and trusting that the plans that he has for me are good.
Speaker 1:Listen, I think for me, as I look back over fallow seasons in my life, you know, one of the things that the Lord does usually in these seasons is a real focus on deepening our relationship with him, of drawing us close to him during these times to allow us to remember hey, I'm the one that brought you here, I'm the one that defines who you are. But you know what? One of the things that happens when he does that you begin to receive and recognize the need for healing and recovery in your life. You know, just like fallow ground, in the agricultural sort of way, recovers and regains its nutrients, our souls right, our heart, our mind, our spirit needs time to heal and recover from life's wear and tear and all the stuff that we go through.
Speaker 1:And listen, for me, I would have to say, of my whole life, the last probably 15 years of our life have been the most fruitful, fulfilling, favor-filled season of our life. And yet right now things look and feel different. But guess what, while that has been a wonderful, wonderful season, I know that God's got better things ahead. I know there's a new iteration and I know that during this season of favor I've gotten some wounds. I've gotten some mindsets that need to shift. I've gotten some habits that maybe were not the best, that there were just ways of doing things, that I was doing the best I knew. But God said, hey, you can't take those things into this new season.
Speaker 1:And so, like in Psalm 23, where it talks about God allowing us to and making us really to lie down in green pastures and leading us beside still waters and restoring our souls, these kind of seasons of fallow ground allow God to restore the weariness and the brokenness of our hearts and bring healing to us in a deeper, deeper way, and of course, that prepares us right for the good things that he has promised for us. Remember Philippians 1.6, it says, being confident of this very thing that he who has begun a good work in you will complete it, even into the day of Christ Jesus. Listen, the work that God starts in you in a fallow season is essential for the abundant life and for the full kingdom expression of his kingdom in and through us. It's essential. You can't go to the next place that God has for you without walking through these seasons of fallow ground. So what do you do then? I mean, this has been my question Like I'm a doer, right, I'm the Mary of Mary and Martha, right, I want to, you know, get after it.
Speaker 1:I love it when the Lord gives me a plan rather than just a promise. I'm like Nehemiah, like man show me the building plan and I can get it done, get her done. You know, that's what I want to do. But sometimes God doesn't give you the plan, he gives you a promise. And in the time of promise, only, you got to keep walking, just like Noah did. He kept building that ark, even though all he had was just a promise from the Lord. Abraham, he had a promise from the Lord I'm going to bless you but you got to start walking.
Speaker 1:And so, in these times of fallow ground, I think one of the key principles that we have to embrace on a deeper level is rest, divine rest. It's something that God established. This isn't my idea. This isn't some, you know, sort of just, you know, psychobabble sort of idea. Divine rest is a principle that was established by God from the very beginning, even in Genesis 2. It says that after God created the world, he rested on the seventh day, and so rest is not a sign of being slack or lazy or not doing anything. Rest is not a sign of weakness, but actually a reflection of God's own rhythm inside of our life. That's the beautiful thing. When we rest, we reflect the nature of God inside of us, and Jesus invited us to rest right In Matthew 11, 28 and 30,. He says come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I'll give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I'm gentle and humble in heart, and you'll find rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. That's the rhythm of life that we're supposed to be walking in.
Speaker 1:And so in these seasons of unfruitfulness and these seasons that feel like what am I doing? I need to be doing something. Listen, it's a great opportunity to pull back and say you know what? I'm going to do? Some soul care. I'm going to do some life care. I'm going to enjoy my life. I'm going to go for a walk in the morning instead of doing the work that I used to do. I'm going to write in my journal. Instead of writing something for everybody else to read, I'm going to make art for myself, or whatever it is that that you do. I'm going to do the thing that brings me life in a place of rest, trusting that God's goodness and his promise to provide and care for me has not changed based on my productivity or, in these seasons, non-product productivity. Because why? Because we know that God's promise is that he is working behind the scenes, even when you and I can't see those immediate results. So what are some practical steps for you and I?
Speaker 1:I think you know these seasons are seasons of number one, seeking God's presence right, taking extended time with him to pray and to worship, to read his word, just like it says in Psalm 46, you know, be still and know that I am God. Number two this has always been a big, big part of my, I think, spiritual growth, and even artistic growth as an artist, is to really reflect and journal, take time to write down your thoughts and your prayers and allow yourself to have the space to listen to the voice of the Lord and write down what you feel like he's showing you, so that you can begin to allow this time of rest and fallow ground to really be the incubator for the next thing that you need. Number three, I would say rest and rejuvenate. You know, give yourself permission, even as from the Lord, to rest physically and emotionally and spiritually, without worrying about missing something, but rather recognizing that this season is a God ordained season. So, do things that refresh your soul, do things that rejuvenate you, do things that make you laugh and smile and give you joy in your life, and they may have nothing to do with your spiritual life, great Go. Do those things that when you do it, you feel the pleasure of God, you feel the life of God running through your veins. Do those things. Give yourself permission in that.
Speaker 1:Number four, I'd say you know, connect with community. Choosing to allow yourself to be in the middle of community allows others to stir up love and good works in you, and also you doing the same for them. So, as you assemble together, whether it's in church or in small groups or just having a pool party or a Friday night movie night or whatever it is going out to eat just getting together and celebrating life together with people who really know your stuff the good, the bad, the ugly where you are and can walk with you and are willing to walk through this season of life with you, without judgment and without advice. And then the last thing I would say, just as far as practical steps to embrace these fallow seasons, is remind yourself, intentionally remind yourself of God's faithfulness and his promises in your life. I've loved for years, since my teenage years, proverbs 3, 5 through 6,. This is trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean, not into your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your path, or he will make your path straight and he will direct your path, or he will, you know, make your path straight. God's promise, when we trust in him, is to lead us and direct us and to guide us even when you don't know what's going on.
Speaker 1:Listen, if you've not picked up the devotion book that I wrote last year, I want to encourage you to do it. It's called Awakening to God's Kingdom Within. It's a 90-day devotional that is super quick to read. It starts with a scripture verse, a little bit of reflection and then a prayer and an affirmation for you to begin to declare over your life, and it's just one of those ways that will train your inner life to be able to speak the things that God has for you, to begin to sow the word of God in your life so that it can be the thing that is producing fruit in your life.
Speaker 1:Because, listen again, in these fallow seasons the enemy wants to come to steal and to kill and to destroy. But you got to know what the word of God says, right In John 10, 10,. Jesus came to. He would give us life and give it to the full. And here's the key Abundant life for you and I is not measured by our constant productivity, but by a deep, abiding relationship with the Lord. Abiding relationship with the Lord regardless of what's going on externally. Really living in the kingdom of God involves trusting God's process and timing and knowing that he's working all things together for our good, even when you and I have no clue what's going on in our life.
Speaker 1:Listen, my friend, I think the older that I get and the more I walk with the Lord, the more comfortable I am with the mystery of having no clue. That doesn't mean that I'm not planning. That doesn't mean I'm not dreaming. I mean, I believe, fully. You've heard me teach so many times on Proverbs 16, 9. In his heart, a man plans his way, but the Lord orders his step. But listen, sometimes, when there's no plans, when there's no dreams, when there's no vision, it's just a time to pull back and rest in the Lord and allow him to do some internal work so that you can be prepared for the next external thing that he has for you.
Speaker 1:My friend, I love you. I'd appreciate you listening here every week and I pray that this will speak to you. If you are in a fallow season of life, or maybe if that's not where you are right now and you know somebody that is, and they're really struggling through it. I pray that you'll encourage them to listen to this as well so that they can take heart and really just lean back into this time of unproductiveness and unfruitfulness in their life. I love you, my friend.
Speaker 1:Thanks for joining me and be sure to share this with a friend. Be sure to like, subscribe, comment, do all the stuff, and I look forward to seeing you next time right here on the podcast. Love you, friend. Bye. Hey, thanks so much for spending a few minutes with me today on the podcast Listen. I hope it's been a huge encouragement to you on your journey as an artist. Hey, also, before you leave, make sure to hit the subscribe button so you don't miss any of the other episodes of the Thriving Christian Artist podcast, and also be sure to connect with me on Facebook, instagram or at my website, which is matttommymentoringcom. Until next time, remember you were created to thrive. Bye-bye, thank you.