Day 81 - Transplanted
Scripture focus: For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all these saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:14-19 NIV
I make a better pruner than planter. When spring comes, I relish the idea of trimming off the dead branches and raking away the shed leaves that were missed last fall. I love cutting back my forsythia bushes and using the shorn limbs to create wild and crazy arrangements.
I freak out when spring gardening requires planting. I'm certain that I don't have the necessary skill set to nurture a new plant from infancy to maturity. I struggle to determine if my new shrub and the empty spot in my yard are compatible. Have I dug the right size hole? Is this enough light? How's the soil? Will drought be an issue? Is the soil too soggy? All these really good questions help with a key ingredient of successful planting - the root system of the plant. Roots are vital to the health of any plant. They provide water, nutrients and stability. Healthy roots don't assure a successful planting but unhealthy roots guarantee a failed one.
People have the same issues. The parable of the sower taught us that the kind of ground a seed falls on is important. Maintenance is also essential - weeds of worry can choke out a good planting. Jesus used this parable to teach us that at our core, we're like plants. We require certain conditions in order to thrive.
When we live in darkness, our entire being is under stress. We weren't created for darkness; God designed us for living in the light. As our body acclimates to the darkness, our mid-brain rebels. It cries out, "I want more! More! More I tell you!" Under duress, the pleasure center of the brain (mid-brain) develops cravings, becomes hypo-vigilant (cutting itself off from the rest of the brain where common sense and good judgment reside), and eventually compels us to do whatever it believes will provide a moment of relief from its dark-dwelling. Usually, nothing good comes from buckling under and caving into the insistent cries of a mid-brain under the influence of a strong craving. Some have falsely concluded that folks who cry for "more" are greedy, selfish and self-centered - and to be sure, they appear to be all that and more.
Here's the truth of it - God created us to expect more from life than living like a mushroom in a dark, dank room. But our grand epic adventures require a healthy root system, appropriate nutrients and regular doses of light. In short, some of us mushrooms need to be transplanted. This is a violent experience. First, God arranges to have us pulled up by our roots and requires that we leave the unhealthy soil where we failed to flourish. This causes distress, initially we may feel worse than we did living like mushrooms. Perhaps that's why the Apostle Paul prayed so fervently, "I pray that you, being rooted and established in love may have power to grasp the love of Christ." Only when we trust the hand of the gardener can we allow him to transplant us. I pray that you will allow God to have his way with you today. Who knows what kind of flower you'll become when allowed to live in the light, with the proper nutrition?
Recommended reading: Numbers 32 and 33 in the morning; Luke 5 and Psalm 64 in the evening
No comments:
Post a Comment