I watched the movie “Shack” for the first time while heading to the boarder of Kyrgyzstan. As I watched, I realized there were parallels to my journey, which I would like to share with you.
Spoiler Alert: if you have not seen the movie and plan to, I will be sharing a part of it in this blog.
As we were leaving Nepal and getting ready to go into China, I heard the Lord speak to my heart that “There is beauty in growth.” Too often we look for what is comfortable or easy, however, the Lord is pushing us to be better. The Lord showed me that when a flower is growing it is not striving to grow. Instead it just grows into the beautiful flower it was created to be. It is similar for us – while we experience growing pains, if we follow God’s plan in the end we bloom into who God created us to be. In fact, those around us recognize what God is doing in our lives.
I read a quote in China “A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there.” How true.
Now back to the movie “Shack.” There is a scene where the actors walk into a garden that is over grown. While there are beautiful flowers everywhere, there are also weeds that need to be pulled. They begin working pulling the weeds and preparing the ground for additional plants. As they finish that section, they look around and realize how much more work is needed. The guy says “it is still a mess!’ However the girl responds: “Yes, it is wild and wonderful – perfectly in process.” As the camera pulls back to an aerial view, you see the beautiful design the Lord has made. This is like the process the Lord takes us though. He works on us a section at a time – preparing the ground to replace it with more of Him. And yes, it can look like a mess sometimes but it is a wonderful process to reflect more of the Father in the end.
Last month there were times when I was not comfortable, it was not easy or it did not turn out the way I hoped it would. However, I continue to seek after God – to develop a deeper level of trust, to replace my desires for His and to grow in my desire for more of the Father.
It is not always fun or easy but worth ever moment.
