On the move

The morning dew wets my feet as I walk out to cut the feverfew from its stem.

I place the flowers in vases throughout the house.  I will just have to get rid of it in a few days when it is brown and rotten, but this act of bringing the outside in fills me with enough joy that the extra work is worth it.

Isn’t that the the crux of work?  The reward must be worth the effort expended.  For many, the reward of a paycheck feeds their motivation as the alarm clock drones every morning.  Others of us are moved by a spiritual world that is beyond our understanding yet we are aware of this perishing world and look forward to a new Jerusalem.  With this hope in our hearts, we do our jobs with love that comes from the desire for everyone to feel that same hope.

What do we know that is so special?  Only that Jesus allowed his body to be broken so that we could be free.  And until that message resonates deep in the heart of someone they will look at us as fools.  To those of us blessed to be disciples we know that, finally, for first time in our lives we no longer are foolish. 

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18

I return to writing after a few hours of life has passed.  The Lord prompted me to take a walk around our gardens and I reflect on how, for the first time in my life, weeding has felt accomplishable this year.  It may still not be enjoyable but I truly have felt a growing satisfaction from keeping my beds as weed free as I am able.  I observe my plants every day with the tenderness of a parent, excited to see buds forming and blossoms opening.

God tends us in this way, and when we are open to the pruning and to the weeding we are free to blossom and bud extravagantly into the true identity he has for us.  No longer will we have to be tossed around by the emotions of life here on this perishing earth, instead we have eternal life to look forward to.  An eternal life free of sadness, sighing and brokenness, filled with never-ending praise and worship of our one true King.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”  John 15:1-2

Look deep into the headlines and you will see the Gospel message coming to life around us.  God always keeps his promises.

“All over the world the gospel is bearing fruit and growing”  Colossians 1:6

A few weeks ago, in that special place between wake and sleep, God gave me a vision.  I saw an amusement park and in the area near a row of carnival games there was a man who looked like a carnie, yet he was completely flat and one dimensional!  But, excitingly, he began to fill up like a balloon and came to life again.  God showed me that those that have felt dull and one dimensional are filling up with the love and Spirit of God to become some of the most wonderful, colorful and radiant human beings you’ve ever seen.

God is on the move.