A flourishing, fulfilling life is possible—no perfection required! Too many of us think we have to have it all together in order to live a meaningful life. Instead of feeling put together, we end up feeling inadequate, overwhelmed, and exhausted as we try to figure out how to do it all. Author, business owner, and mom to three Lara Casey has been there, too. In Cultivate , she offers this grace-filled advice: we can't do it all and do it well, but we can choose to cultivate what matters Written as part encouragement anthem and part practical guide, Cultivate offers wisdom from God's Word alongside lessons Lara has learned in her own life--and in her garden--giving you the tools you need to: Discern what matters most to you - Embrace the season of life that you're in - Find the joy and freedom that comes with cultivating what matters Let Lara be your guide as you learn to cultivate what matters, little by little, with the help of God's transforming grace. Praise for Cultivate : " Cultivate is rich soil for the soul! Whether you are a new sprout, just beginning to brave life in the light; a tender shoot fighting for space among rocks and weeds; or a mature plant in need of nurture and pruning, this book will help you thrive. With her characteristic honesty, humility, and patience, Lara Casey uses her spiritual 'green thumb' to gently nudge us toward an intentional life of godliness and growth. If you are ready for a new season of spiritual growth, dig into Cultivate and get ready to bloom!" --Elizabeth Laing Thompson, author of When God Says "Wait" Lara Casey is a mom to three (one through the gift of adoption), a grateful wife, and a believer in the impossible. She created the PowerSheets grace-filled goal setting planner and the Write the Word journals, and she founded Southern Weddings Magazine a decade ago. Lara is also the author of Make It Happen: Surrender Your Fear. Take the Leap. Live On Purpose . She lives in Chapel Hill, NC, and loves getting her hands dirty in the garden. Cultivate A Grace-Filled Guide to Growing an Intentional Life By Lara Casey Thomas Nelson Copyright © 2017 Lara Casey All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-7180-2166-5 Contents Welcome to the Thick of It, 1, PART 1: PREPARE YOUR GARDEN, 1. Cultivate What Matters — Grace from the Garden: Garden Company, 21, 2. Embrace Your Season — Grace from the Garden: Be the Bees, 44, 3. Dream Like a Gardener — Grace from the Garden: All the Plants I've Killed, 61, 4. Nourish Your Soil — Grace from the Garden: Mama Bird Knows Best, 79, PART 2: DIG IN, 5. Plant Your Seeds — Grace from the Garden: U-Pick Memories, 99, 6. Grow in the Wait — Grace from the Garden: Metamorphosis, 115, 7. Tend Your Garden — Grace from the Garden: Celebration!, 132, PART 3: SAVOR THE FRUIT, 8. Harvest Contentment — Grace from the Garden: Heirloom Plants, 157, 9. Flourish with Others — Grace from the Garden: Garden Markers, 181, 10. Preserve the Fruit — Grace from the Garden: The Day I Thought I Would Lose the Garden, 202, A New Season, 217, Cultivate Together Guide, 221, Gardening 101, 245, Acknowledgments, 247, Connect with Lara, 251, About the Author, 253, CHAPTER 1 CULTIVATE WHAT MATTERS LIE: I have to do it all. TRUTH: I can't do it all and do it WELL. I almost ran into a wall — a literal wall in my own home. I had just had a new baby, and I struggled with balancing motherhood and business. I worried that my growing company couldn't withstand the changes that were happening in my personal life. I feared that everything would fall apart. I felt pressure to keep it together. I thought that everyone else had it together but me. I believed that I had to get it all done — and done perfectly. And, despite my efforts, the only thing that felt done was me. Rushing to get back to my desk one morning, with a baby in one arm and reading an e-mail on my phone on the way, I came this close to crashing my face right into a lovely shade of Benjamin Moore's "Mindful Grey." That wall was a wake-up call. I was trying to get it all done out of fear. And it felt painfully familiar. I had grown so much since my hustle-hard days years ago, but I found myself believing similar lies — the lies that said I had to do everything and do it all perfectly. Everything felt urgent, important, and necessary. I settled back at my desk, took a breath, and considered something I didn't want to admit: maybe all the things I thought I had to do didn't actually need to get done. IDENTIFY WHAT YOU WANT TO CULTIVATE Maybe you want your life to transform, but you don't know where to start. One surefire way to stay right where you are is to stay right where you are. Even if what we're about to do together feels challenging, let's do this in the name of not staying where we are. Ready? As we begin this journey together, name the one thing that you most want to change or grow in your life. You can change or refine your answer later, but let's m