March 12, 2026 | Pastor Ellen Beach

Last spring I made a costly mistake.

You know that feeling when you find exactly what you've been looking for and you just know it's going to be perfect? I found the most beautiful hydrangea, full, lush, and covered in blooms. I couldn't wait to plant it in my backyard. I had already pictured how gorgeous it was going to look all summer long. I purchased and planted it with so much expectation.

And then I watched it burn.

I was so disappointed!

I had put it in full blazing sun and planted it in soil that couldn't sustain it. Despite my excitement, despite my effort, despite how much I wanted it to thrive, it never had a chance. The environment was wrong from the start.

It reminded me of an experience on our hobby farm growing up. One summer, I planted tomatoes in a shady spot simply because it was convenient. They never produced a single tomato. The next year we moved them to full sun in rich, nourishing soil and those plants produced more tomatoes than we knew what to do with.

Here's what both of those experiences taught me: when the soil is wrong, the climate is wrong, or the environment is wrong, it doesn't matter how hard you try. Your plants won't survive, much less thrive.

And friend, the same principle applies to every one of us spiritually.

You can be a person of faith, full of potential, genuinely wanting to grow and still find yourself stuck, depleted, or producing nothing. Sometimes it's not a lack of effort. Sometimes it's the soil.

The hard truth is that we often end up in the wrong environments. We get there through convenience, comfort, a slow drift we didn't even notice, or simply not realizing how much our surroundings are draining us. Toxic relationships, influences that pull us away from God rather than toward Him, and habits that quietly crowd out what's life-giving can take root before we even realize it.

Psalm 92:13 doesn't just say planted. It says "planted in the house of the Lord." Not planted anywhere. Not planted wherever is easiest. Planted in the right place, where His presence dwells, where His Word is taught and where His people gather.

Psalm 1:3 describes what happens when you get the soil right: "That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever they do prospers."

Fruit in every season. Leaves that don't wither. Prosperity in all I do. I don't know about you, but I want every bit of that. When our roots are in the right location, we can begin to flourish.

So here's the question I want you to consider this week:

What soil are you planted in right now, and is it life-giving or life-draining?

Here are a few introspective markers to help you answer that:

Signs of life-giving soil: You feel closer to God. You're growing, even when it's hard. The people around you call out the best in you. Your faith is being nourished and challenged in healthy ways.

Signs of life-draining soil: You feel spiritually depleted after time in certain relationships or environments. Your faith has quietly shrunk. You find yourself drifting from God without quite knowing when it started. The fruit in your life has slowed or stopped.

If any of that resonates, this isn't a moment for guilt. It's a moment for courage. Sometimes the most loving thing you can do for yourself is allow God to transplant you to healthy soil. And here's the beautiful thing: He is present and active in the process of moving you from surviving to thriving.

This week: Take an honest look at where you're spending your time and energy. Name one environment, one relationship, or one habit that has been draining rather than nourishing your faith. Bring it to God and ask Him for your best next step.

And if you know someone who has been trying hard in the wrong soil, struggling, depleted, wondering why nothing is growing, reach out to them this week. Invite them to Building Church this Sunday. Sometimes the most powerful thing we can offer someone is simply a life-giving environment.

Choose good soil, friend. You were made to flourish!

— Pastor Ellen