Jesus Christ was fully God-living wholly in his wisdom, but he squeezed into this human suit and felt the total physical dependency and limitations that are woven into the threads of humanity. He understood that while he lived with an expanded mind and vision, man doesn’t naturally share in that capacity to understand the vastness and inter-working majesty of the God of the Universe. As the Lord spoke to Isaiah in a vision in chapter 6, concerning the wicked in Judah:
“Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive. Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”
We as humans, corrupted by sin, have been given opportunity after opportunity to hear messages from the Lord concerning repentance and truth. Jesus even alluded to this in Matthew 13: 10-16, Mark 4:12, and Luke 8:10. PRAISE THE LORD that Christ, out of obedience, sovereignty, and great love, came so we no longer had to sit in this limbo of hearing but not understanding. So, to bridge this disconnect, he used stories; he revealed his greatness with metaphors.
“All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet: I will open my mouth with parables; I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.” Matthew 13:34-35
Jesus built us a bridge-one we must journey across- from the things we know, to the deeper understanding of God. Our Heavenly Father intricately created these things to speak to us and to teach his children about himself through them. I know this because wow the Word of God-His Breath of Wisdom has been laid upon my heart so sweetly that I simply must run to it always. It has been my source of comfort in a season of mass discomfort. It has been my true north to align visions and words upon.
Speaking out of honesty, it can be a challenge to read the Bible and struggle to retain it long-term. But in considering my current ministry placement, I can clearly see how Abba has been preparing me for it-specifically through scripture. Here at Wildflower home I work with my hands daily-pulling weeds, planting, moving the earth, creating compost, filling in unstable ground-I could go on. I’ve been hearing messages about sowing seeds and bearing fruit and being firmly rooted for months prior to the race!! And remembering them while reading scripture here have HIT me recently. I see the physical manifestations of these teachings daily. Each day I get a new revelation, or the truth I bear gets reconfirmed.
Since it’s been a month and a half of ministry, I won’t get into the depth of each lesson that the work of my hands and truth of the word have been teaching me. But here are two overarching lessons from this season:
-
What you sow – that will grow, so keep planting good seed, tending to it, and hold faith that God is growing the seeds. Galatians 6:7-9
I decided to go into each day declaring a few things: first and foremost, that everything I will do will be for the glory of God. I’ve been declaring joy in all of my thoughts and actions over ministry. I established a habit of listing 5 things im thankful for each day. I have dove into scripture and have been praying for wisdom as well. All of these I’ve planted into my heart and have become habitual acts of faith. I am genuinely joyful going into ministry each morning, as opposed to going to ministry and fighting for joy. My heart is one of gratitude and I see it continuing to grow stronger! Instead of planting feelings of entitlement, loss, and discontentment, I pulled seeds from papa’s shelf and asked for his help in planting them!
-
Be firmly rooted in good receptive soil-wanting to remain established and grow. Matthew 13:18-23
In this parable Jesus describes seeds thrown in a few different conditions and the varying results on the the health of the plant. The seed, representing the word of God, only became firmly rooted and bore fruit in the soil that was not rocky, ridden with weeds or accessible by the enemy. Our surroundings and receptivity to the word have a huge impact on the way that we are established and grow.
Being on the race is like living in a spiritual greenhouse- there is the community, the constant pouring out into ministry, the beep boop’s pointing you back to Jesus, the devos and worship. Being on the race means being in good conditions for spiritual growth. I’m realizing the final factor to determine the growth of the seed is if the person who hears it receives and understands it. So I’ve been asking myself: is my heart receptive to what Abba is doing, teaching, and growing? Sometimes the answer is no. But all this growth in me is leading to a path met by more yes’s, more understanding, more perceiving, more healing.
My prayers for this season:
Lord, make my heart fresh soil-ready to receive the seed of the fruit of your word. Renew my mind daily so I can continue to see your vision for my purpose in planting at Wildflower home. Use my labor and your word to teach me about you. Father I pray humility and joy over myself and my team, so we may bear good fruit. Continue making the land at Wildflower fertile and fruitful to further sustain and bless the women there. Uproot lies and fears and sins that are choking away the growth of your word. Father this is all for your glory and from your mercy. Amen
