I
have not a very green thumb. In fact, it's black.
Seriously,
anything green that I touch is doomed. Over time I have come to terms with my
total inability to sustain & nurture plant life. All my produce, herbs,
& flowers are store-bought. My front yard is brown. I've grieved &
buried my hopes of growing my own veggies, let alone the dream of one day
coaxing a bloom from a temperamental orchid. I'm just not that girl.
And
so, I marvel at Jesus' tremendous gardening aptitude. He doesn't just want
to grow his people.... He is uniquely and perfectly able! Scripture is full of
references to His very green thumb at work:
· planting (Gen 1:11-12),
· sustaining & protecting
(Isaiah 42:3),
· pruning (John 15:2),
· stimulating fruit (Gal
5:22-23),
· harvesting (Luke 10:2, Rev.
14:14-19)..... and these verses are just a small sampling!
But
my favorite passage about our Lord's great agricultural abilities doesn't
initially read like a gardening reference:
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Romans 5:1-5)
Unlikely
Seeds
While
I can't even keep a mature drought-tolerant plant alive for more than a few
days, Jesus, the Master Gardener, is continually working a horticultural
miracle in our hearts through the trials we endure! The seed of suffering is
sown into each of our lives; we all know there's no escaping it. We've seen
suffering that takes root in the soil of some lives to spawn tenacious weeds of
bitterness or despair. But in His mighty hands, I find that my seeds can grow something
else...
If
sufferings are the seeds, then the root Jesus cultivates in the believer's
heart is endurance. It's not flashy. It's not even always visible above the
surface. But it's about more than just getting by, or "keeping on keeping
on." It's about laying down that which anchors little sprouts in place
when wind or high waters threaten to rip them from the soil. It's about the
formation of a conduit for the Living Water to enter, nourish, refresh, and
strengthen souls.
Then,
in time, from the deepening root of endurance begins to sprout the visible
stalk of character. This we can see, and be encouraged by. Here the evidence of
the Lord's work is displayed to those around us. The character and integrity of
those who have suffered, more than that, who have embraced their
sufferings as a means of better knowing the Savior, testify to the new
creation forming within us. Character brings our Lord much glory, but He's not
done yet... plants are meant to flower.
Like
the elusive orchid, the Lord nurtures & beckons from character the bloom of
hope. It is a beautiful and unlikely flower, considering the homely seeds of
its origin. And it is unmistakably shaped and colored by Jesus. This is no
frail bud that opens briefly and falls to the ground in the heat of the day.
It's not optimism, positive thinking, or hoping for the best. True hope is a
hearty bloom with vibrant colors that shout to a watching world that God has
been faithful from the seed, to the root, to the plant, to the flower.... so He
can be trusted to be faithful again. The bloom of hope testifies to Jesus'
great ability to create and sustain life from any seed, in any soil.
Unlikely
Treasures
There
is obvious encouragement to glean here. I mean, aren't all our hearts easily
encouraged by pretty & uplifting thoughts? But I believe there is a
challenge of far more value....cherish and embrace your seeds.
It's easy to prize flowers, just as hope is a thing of beauty that makes the
heart glad, even (and especially) in dark times. But whose heart thrills at a
handful of seeds? I see just a pile of tiny, brown, unappealing specks. My
heart is not stirred to thankfulness for a portion of seeds, nor for a life
sown with suffering.
However,
I suspect those with green thumbs experience a little thrill when they buy a
packet of seeds. Surely it must seem like a tiny envelope of possibilities.
Likewise, let us not despise the sufferings with which our lives are sown, but
rather cultivate sober gratitude & eyes filled with the vision of blooms to
come, then let us thank the Lord for these means to plant anew. Let's not
squander our sufferings, but instead cry out to the One who is both the
Vinedresser & the Vine itself to have His way. With happy surrender, let us
take stock of the fields of our lives this very day, thanking God for every
seed, root, & shoot, and trusting His mighty ability to bring them all to
bloom in His perfect timing!
Thus I come to the purpose
of this blog. I hope to encourage & uplift with a bit of honest sharing
about Jesus' horticultural work in my life. It's not all flowers and sunshine,
but I'm hoping every snapshot of this garden-in-process will build your faith
as much as I trust writing them will build mine. I hope you'll share your
thoughts and experiences, too. In short, I hope you'll join me in the joyful
work of waiting for blooms.
