This picture came a few weeks into a difficult and confusing time. God spoke this picture into my mind and used it to comfort and remind me that, again, He can be trusted whether I understand circumstances or not.
The Picture
The farmer is preparing the soil for the crop that will grow in that field. The clods have to be broken up to be made useful. What the Gardener wants to grow here won't grow with the soil like it is.
The field appears to be fallow; no visible growth, no beauty, no fruit. But the Gardener is at work, preparing the soil for what is to come. A crop that can't grow in the soil of pride, self-sufficiency, contentment with mediocrity, fear, hanging onto hurt, anger, ego, critical spirit, cynicism. His plan can be trusted.
September 2008
Responding
Do you feel like you're in a season of being reshaped? Maybe what you thought was going to happen in your relationships, career or overall life plan hasn't happened. Do you feel like you're being worked over?
What does cooperating with God's reshaping work look like? It starts with our answer to this question: do I believe God is trustworthy in everything? If yes, then go from there and ask for His help and grace to accept our circumstances, however full of uncertainty and confusion they are. If your answer is no, try this: just ask God to give you eyes to see Him for who He is.
Sometimes it's discouraging when we see how far we have to go. We wonder if we've made any progress at all. But I think the Gardener would have us look at it not by the progress we have made, but by the progress He has made as we submit to him in loving trust.
I've been trying to deal with my views of God lately. I didn't realize how messed up they were until a few weeks ago. Our pastor was preaching and asked if we felt God was "sitting up there looking down at us with condemnation?" I started nodding yes, when everyone else was saying no.
ReplyDeleteI have felt so many times that God is shaking his head, saying "you knuckle head" when I make the same stupid decision over and over again...I don't have any great insight to offer. I honestly think that God is yelling at me to just give Him control. (I have so many issues going on right now, with children's struggles, health issues, etc). I wonder how much of my chaos is God just begging me to give in to Him, and then I wonder if I over-spiritualize everything.
sigh. I know. Have had pretty much the same kinds of thoughts. But it just shines the light on my unbelief.
ReplyDeleteThe more I see who Jesus is in the Word, the more my eyes are opened to the truth of his heart toward me, the less these negative thoughts have power over me. The clincher for me is, what am I filling my head with? If I'm not actively filling it with the Word, I know it'll be filled with self stuff.
And then I come back again...God, I know you're right. You're here working in me because you love me. Your work feels brutal sometimes, but it comes from your heart of love. You are fathering me toward maturity, and where I am today, I say yes to you.