1. EachPod

11 | Choosing What to Cultivate: Discernment in the Garden & in the Soul

Author
Sanda Valcu
Published
Tue 05 Aug 2025
Episode Link
https://rootedingrace.podbean.com/e/11-choosing-what-to-cultivate-discernment-in-the-garden-in-the-soul/

Scripture:

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” — Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)


✨Rooted Jesus Girls,✨


This episode invites you to slow down and ask a sacred question:

👉 “What is mine to grow this season?”


We’re diving into Chapter 6 of Rooted in Grace, where I share one of my hardest-won lessons: not everything that grows in your zone belongs in your garden. The same is true in your soul, your calendar, your home, and your heart.


You'll hear about my stubborn kale (again), the cultural contrast between my childhood Romanian garden and my suburban one, and how I’m learning to plant for purpose—not performance.


We’ll talk about:




  • 🌱 Discernment and alignment over expectation and guilt




  • 🧺 How to choose crops (and commitments) that nourish your actual life




  • ✨ Why your garden is a mirror for your season—not a to-do list




  • 🐛 Why it’s okay to replant (or release) something that didn’t thrive




And most of all, we’ll explore how the act of choosing what to cultivate is a powerful, grace-soaked practice of spiritual growth.


📥 Don’t miss this!

If you’re craving a deeper connection between your gardening rhythms and your walk with God, I’ve got something for you:


💡 Take the quiz: What Kind of Garden Grows in Your Soul?

Discover if you’re a:




  • 🌼 Graceful Grower




  • 🌳 Rooted Dreamer




  • 🌾 Quiet Tiller




  • 🌿 Creative Forager




Each result comes with a free printable and a gentle invitation to reflect on your current spiritual + gardening season.


This quiz is the first step into my upcoming GROWTH Workshop, a faith-based spiritual formation journey built around garden cycles and real life in Zones 8–10. (Launching soon!)


📓 Journal Reflection Questions from Chapter 6


  1. Are you growing anything—literally or figuratively—that no longer aligns with your values or needs?




  2. What crops or commitments bring you genuine joy, beauty, or nourishment?




  3. How does your current garden reflect the season of life you’re in?




  4. What’s one thing you’ve been growing out of guilt or obligation—and what would it feel like to release it?




  5. If you could plant only three things this year, what would they be—and why?




🙏 Let’s stay rooted together:

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