Growth takes patience. When I moved up to Fargo this year, I did so because I felt like God was going to really grow me this year. I decided that God called me to Fargo in order for me to be in fellowship with some of my close friends and so that I could be a part of what God is doing up here. I got here and found that God is indeed moving in powerful ways and that my friends are indeed awesome people. God was using me to lead a bible study, blessed me with an awesome small group, handed me jobs (yes plural) when I needed them, and was teaching me new things about His heart. He truly blessed me. In the midst of this, however, I was not aware of the growth that was taking place.
Isn't it funny how it works? we never really know how much we have changed until we can see where we came from. I want to encourage you to keep on keeping on. God knows what he is doing. even when our daily lives seem mundane or fruitless, God's Spirit is continually working to draw you closer to him. We see such a small part of the portrait that God is painting. What we need to understand is that if we are walking in the spirit, growth is inevitable. There will definitely be things we won't understand that happen in our lives-- ugly deaths, failed relationships, or even something as little as sleeping through work (did that this week! oops). Something we can find rest in, however, is that God is going to use those things to do good. Sometimes bad things happen to us and we think there is no way that God can put a good spin on it. Where is the silver lining in a suicide? How can God be glorified through terminal cancer? Those are the things that we may never understand. But guess what? God does. It is hard, but we need to be able to find rest in the fact that God's ways are higher than our ways.
Story Time:
A young boy named Jonathan lived in a great kingdom with his parents. he was your normal middle class 12 year old who enjoyed hanging out with his friends and playing all sorts of games. the king of this kingdom was as magnificent as he was wise. He was the greatest king that the people had ever seen. he ruled with a firm but generous hand, and had the love of everyone. the only problem was that he did not have an heir to the throne. the king was getting old and realized it was time to choose an heir. after talking it over with his advisers, he came up with the perfect plan. He called together all the boys in the kingdom into his throne room. Many of the boys had never seen such extravagance in their whole lives! Jonathan sat near the back of the throne room, a little nervous of the kings announcement (everyone knew why the king had called them together!). when the kids had all entered, the advisers and court officials handed each of the kids a seed. the king then addressed them... "each of you I have given a seed. plant it. water it. care for it. whoever comes back in a year and impresses me the most with the fruits of their labor will be my heir. that is all". The kids left the palace in a fury of young bodies launching themselves home as fast as possible to get a head start on the planting.
Jonathan got home and planted his seed. he picked out the very best pot and the richest soil. that's when the waiting began. kids would come to school telling tale tales of how big their plants were getting, exclaiming that they were going to be king! nobody had any proof though, until a few weeks later when one little boy brought his pot to school. in the bottom of the pot you could see a small green leaf peaking out of the dirt. The young boys all crowded around jealous of the lad with the leaf. eventually other pots started making their way to school. some of them containing flowers, others had small trees, and still others contained delicious fruits. Jonathan watched with increasing horror as his friend's plants grew up big and healthy while he continued to sport a simple potted dirt patch. He was so frustrated one day that he was about to throw it out and start over. his mother reminded him that he needed to be faithful to the king's request no matter what. Jonathan fumed for a bit, but eventually accepted his dud seed and gardening failure.
The day finally came for the boys to return to the king. Jonathan didn't want to leave the house. he sat in front of the window watching the other boys haul out their beautiful plants. many of them had to be moved to bigger pots, some even had to be carried in wagons. Jonathan finally braved his way to the throne room with his empty pot. he seated himself behind a large pillar in the back of the room, ashamed of his failure. the king stood on the stage looking at all the greenery before him. he seemed to be looking for something. the advisers were working their way through the crowd with watchful eyes. One of them caught Jonathan's eye. Jonathan tried to look away as fast as he could, but the official stepped toward him. "I think we have one!" he yelled to the king. Jonathan sank in his seat... uh oh! what would the king do when he sees the empty pot? the official ushered him up to the throne. Jonathan didn't dare look at the king. the king knelt in front of Jonathan, putting his huge warm hands on Jonathan's shoulder. "what is your name son?" "Jonathan", he replied meekly... "Jonathan how would you like to be my heir?" Jonathan couldn't believe his ears! Yes! Yes! Yes! how could this be? the king turned to the crowd.. "Young men, one year ago I entrusted you with a seed. Jonathan was the only one who returned here with that seed. I know this because the seeds I gave to you were boiled. and boiled seeds don't grow."
Wow, kinda got sidetracked there! I guess it kinda fits though. I have been realizing that growth happens when we trust in and wait on the Lord. Persevere friends, even when you don't see the fruits of your labor, and the Lord will bless you. Just like Jonathan, often times it seems like we are watering our flowers in vain. it seems as though we pray, we worship, and we spend time with God and he isn't showing up. This couldn't be farther from the truth! When I was 16, I thought I had my theology developed, I thought I was super close to God, and I thought that I was pretty solid in my faith. Looking back now, I see a boy who was in the middle of so many transitions and whose faith was young and immature. I am sure that 5 years from now I will look back at now and think the same. That is the point though right? strive to be like Christ. do not be content with where you are. Let the change that is sanctification consume you. It will take a lifetime, but it's surely worth it.
