Grow Up! part 3
Once upon a time there was a preacher who made the analogy of planting a seed. No, his name wasn't Jesus. But the thing this preacher said about it really stuck with me, even to this day. He said, "You don't plant a seed and then immediately dig it up expecting it to blossom and bear fruit overnight." Maturity is a process, in other words. We have to go through things in order to get from here to there. And going through those things is what helps us learn and grow. Going through those things is what equips and empowers us to help other people when they inevitably go through similar things. And here's the key: Those things are going to happen no matter what. In this world we WILL have tribulations. BUT we can be of good cheer. Because we have Jesus (we ARE Jesus), and He has overcome the world. We can look at the bigger picture, the grand scheme, and we can use every experience to learn and grow. We can let the seed blossom in its own time. It doesn't happen overnight. Rome wasn't built in a day. This never-ending life-long journey is just that--a journey. Look at John 15:8 in the Message Bible, "This is how my Father shows who he is--when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples." I love that so much. Because it puts the emphasis where it belongs. This is how MY FATHER shows who HE is--when YOU produce grapes. When the seed that HE planted in you--that incorruptible seed that grows into the fruit of the Spirit, which is love--bears fruit. And, of course, just for the record, what "we" produce is really what HE is producing in us. It's not what we do. It's what Jesus--God in the flesh, love in a body... God in OUR flesh, love in OUR body--does in us, and through us, and as us. So when we're talking about growing up, or growing pains, stretching ourselves past the point that we ever thought we could go by loving people more than we ever thought we could... it's really all about receiving God's love more than we ever thought we could. Because you can't give what you don't have. And you can only give what you do have. What we ought to do, then, is let God love the hell out of us and then love Him back by loving each other. That's holiness. Loving people is holiness. That's maturity. Loving people is maturity. When someone treats you bad... and you respond with love... that's about as mature as it gets. That's when God's love is made perfect in you, and that's when God's love casts out all fear, and that's when you can truly experience and enjoy the abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life of Love that is the gift of God. The gift that we have already been given. The gift that we have. The gift that we experience... by giving it away. By sharing it. By giving people what we have... and who we are. Giving people--and ourselves--grace to grow. Plant the seed and let it grow. As long as you're moving forward it doesn't matter how fast, or slow, you go. Baby steps are still forward steps. And, never forget, God is holding your hand the whole time. Leading you, guiding you, directing you, and protecting you. Helping you along day by day. Step by step. It's like that old saying, "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far... go together!" We're all in this together, and God is carrying us along!