A few days ago, I tried propagating our dying Basil plant to help produce more seedlings. One of the three cuttings had dried Basil flowers on top which was great because they contained seeds. Ever since we started growing Basil at home, we have always used seedlings bought from gardening shops. However, this time, I wanted to try growing them from seeds.
If you have Basil plants at home, you can try these three simple steps too! :)
HOW TO HARVEST BASIL SEEDS:
1. Wait for the plant’s flowers to dry up and turn brown. This is the best time to harvest the seeds.
2. From the main plant, cut the stem of the dried flowers and then, carefully remove each bud.
3. Using your fingers, gently crush the dried flowers until the black seeds fall out.
Once you have the seeds, you can already plant them in your potting soil where the seedling will grow. Or you can also store them in a sealed plastic bag or glass container kept in a dark room, for future use.
I look forward to seeing these new Basil seeds grow into healthy and fruitful plants in the coming months. Let me know if you’re growing these too!
You can also check the video below on how to harvest the seeds. Enjoy! Happy gardening!
For more gardening updates and tips, feel free to visit the ff. pages of ANYONE CAN GARDEN. :)
In my almost thirty years of existence, I have only encountered a few conversations about women struggling with pornography. I don’t know why but it’s just not a common concern that women have. But, I have come to realize that maybe it was and we just didn’t want to talk about it.
Last month, I struggled with porn again. The first time I encountered it was during my childhood years when I would catch glimpses of sexual scenes on television. During the different stages of my life later on, I would occasionally fall again. Sometimes, it would last for a few minutes. Other times, it would go on for a couple of days. Going through porn made me feel a mix of excitement, fear, shame, pleasure, and guilt. It felt good at first, but I also knew that it wasn’t pleasing to the Lord.
When I made a personal decision to accept Jesus in my heart as my Lord and Savior and decided to follow Him, the desire to search for porn faded away. By His grace, He gave me the strength to resist and flee from it each time I was tempted and He gave my heart a hunger for Him and His word.
I wish I could tell you that I never struggled with it again, but as I’ve mentioned earlier, I still do. When I look at those instances, I see a familiar and consistent pattern in my life. I easily fall into its trap most especially during the times when I am not abiding in God and His truths. This doesn’t happen overnight. It usually starts with unconsciously having a wrong view of who God is, which eventually affects how I seek and spend time with Him. If I am not careful, I end up going through days, weeks, and even months indulging on worldly pleasures and not being filled by the Spirit. So, when I get tempted by it, you can just imagine how easily I give in, despite knowing that this breaks God’s heart.
Here are some of the thoughts and experiences I’ve had while I struggled with porn:
“It’s just for a little while.” — LIE! The dopamine effect is quite strong and it does become an addiction, if left unchecked.
“No one will know.”— God sees and knows everything.
“No one else is going to be affected by it.” — After doing it, I remember needing to psych myself so that I wouldn’t view people / bodies in a lustful way. This is difficult because I would encounter people every day.
“I want it now. It’s going to satisfy me.” — Yes, probably at first! But, the shame I felt afterwards far outweighed the satisfaction I had because of it. During those moments, I remember wanting more and more, which got me deeper into searching for materials that I never imagined myself viewing. It would even come to a point where I would feel numb or bored about certain degrees/levels of it. It doesn’t satisfy what my heart and soul crave for and it never will!
Despite these, I still fell recently and it broke my heart mainly because I knew I was breaking God’s heart by engaging in it again.
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” –Philippians 4:8
“But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.” –Ephesians 5:3
Many years ago, I decided to follow Jesus. By His grace, I pray that I will be faithful to Him here on Earth, until He calls me home. One specific action step that I’ve taken to battle this struggle is to finally open up these details to the public through my blog. Of course, this is in addition to going back to the Word of God daily, surrendering and seeking Him in prayer, and committing to be accountable to Him and others.
Another reason why I’ve decided to share this in public is because I do want to encourage other women (or men) out there who also go through this or something similar, but are afraid to open up about it. You are not alone in this!😌 Pornography, also, shouldn’t be a topic that is swept under the rug. It’s a struggle and it is real, both in the lives of men and women.
After experiencing brokenness from the Lord last month through this struggle, He gave me a new song to sing. I sang these lyrics for the first time while I was driving home, desperately wanting to change and get back to the cross again. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). I praise God for his grace, forgiveness, and mercies that are new each day. May this song encourage you to draw near to Jesus too!
Last night, I had the opportunity to spend time with the Lord after attending a discipleship conference in church. There were so many issues and ideas that I wanted to process with God, but He allowed me to focus on one concern — the UNBELIEF in my heart.
By His grace, I do get to spend time with Him and His Word and apply the lessons He has been teaching me, especially when it comes to taking steps of faith. However, I realized that whenever I pray, there are still hints of worry and doubt in my heart. The Lord made it clear to me this weekend to finally get rid of them. I read James 1:5-6 and Matthew 14:22-33 to remind myself of what it means to trust in Jesus. I couldn’t imagine what Peter felt when Jesus asked him to walk on the water, but this story inspired me to keep my eyes on Jesus too.
I ended the night with a new chorus in my heart and I woke up this morning writing the rest of the song. It is entitled “Eyes on You” and it is about Matthew 14:22-33 and how there really is no reason for us to doubt who God is and what He is able to do. I hope this song will also encourage you to trust in Him too!
I just attended the wedding of one of my closest friends this weekend. After the reception, I went to my room to rest early, but I ended up having this headache (maybe from dehydration) mixed with a flurry of thoughts about marriage and my singleness. I started counting the number of weddings I attended since I graduated from college (9 years ago) and I realized that last night was already wedding #20. I told myself “Wow, parang yung movie na “27 Dresses” lang ah. Always a bridesmaid, never a bride? Haha.” But despite the soft laugh I gave myself, I knew that my heart was silently asking the question “Why, Lord?”
THE STRUGGLE IS REAL
“Why am I still single, Lord? Is it because of my physical appearance? My personality? My friendships and relationships? Consequences of my past sins?” As I wondered about it and even entertained some lies in my mind, I noticed how my assumptions were all about me.
I realized that even my singleness IS NOT about me, what I have, or what I lack. It is still about God, His grace and faithfulness, and His good and perfect will.
The Lord has been speaking to my heart ever since I started dating years ago. I have had so many humbling lessons learned, rebukes, and gracious moments I’ve encountered with the Lord. Some recent ones were revealed through songwriting. Last year, I noticed that 7 out of the 17 songs I wrote were directly related to my heart’s struggle with my non-existent love life. Every time I play them, I remember both the ache and peace that I felt as I wrote them and opened my heart to the Lord.
I am sincerely happy for family and friends who transitioned into marriage and parenthood through the years. And by God’s grace, friends would tell me how they notice that I am still joyful despite not being in a relationship. But honestly, there would still be times when I would struggle in my mind and heart, despite knowing that Jesus remained single until death and yet His life gave glory to God. Sometimes, I would find myself crying as I drive through the traffic along C5 on the way home, just being quiet before the Lord. Other times, my heart would feel a slight sting when I catch a glimpse of couples holding hands or expressing their love and commitment to each other.
Moreover, when people would tell me that they are praying for my future husband, or hope that I will have one, or even insist that I WILL have a future husband in God’s perfect timing, I can’t help but wonder, “Yes, I do have the desire for marriage. But why does it seem like getting married is more favorable than being single? What if it isn’t His will for me to have a future husband? Because that IS a possibility.”
Recently, someone casually told me “Okay yan, at least hindi ka pa thirt—“. Then, she stopped when she realized she was walking on eggshells. I responded with “Why? What’s wrong with being 30 already?” She didn’t continue the conversation anymore. This 2020 will be my 30th year on Earth. A part of me is extremely grateful as I look back on the journey that God allowed me to go through with him in the past decades. But another part of me is whispering to myself, “Oh no. You are almost 30 and STILL single.”
THE CRY OF MY HEART
There are a few reasons why I am sharing these things on the blog. First, documenting my struggles and victories through writing helps me process my thoughts. Somehow, being able to express these in words makes the burden in my heart feel lighter. Second, in case there are others out there who also feel the same way or go through similar situations, I want to let you know that you are not alone in this. This topic is usually kept in secret as it may come off as a sensitive issue, but I realized how talking about this may help those who also struggle with it. And lastly, I do want to share the hope and joy that we have in Jesus, even as I am struggling with this.
Before writing this post, I was having an honest conversation with the Lord and I told Him that…
…my heart was breaking not just because of my singleness, but because I could see how my heart isn’t content in Him,
despite surrendering my life to Jesus and accepting Him as my personal Lord and Savior. I then recalled similar patterns of personal brokenness, impurity, insecurities, and idolatry in my past dating experiences and I asked for the Lord’s forgiveness.
Indeed, nothing or no one can ever fully satisfy the deepest longings of our souls and hearts. ONLY JESUS CAN.
As I opened my heart to the Lord, He reminded me of His unending love and grace and of Psalm 73:25-26 specifically, which says: “Whom have I in Heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
This is the cry of my heart — to long for Jesus and His Word more than anyone or anything else, all the days of my life. Should He desire for me to get married someday, I pray that my heart will respond in total surrender to His timing and will and that He alone would be glorified. But for now, I would like to humbly ask for your prayers, as I continue in this journey of singleness and battle discontentment by the power of the Holy Spirit. I pray that the work of my hands would be productive and that the words of my mouth and meditation of my heart will be pleasing to God (Psalm 19:14).
Sharing with you a draft recording of a song I wrote last June 2019, entitled “This Is Love”. This best expresses how I feel about this concern. Whatever season you may be at right now, whether you are 30, 40, 50, 60 years old and single, I hope this will also encourage your heart to desire and seek the Lord each day. He loves us so much. More than we can ever imagine.
My name is Nicole Obligacion and I started this blog because I was inspired by Hebrews 10:24 and Hebrews 3:13. I love to eat, cook, bake, read the Bible, and encourage. :)
