What do you see?
It took my parents five years, three rental homes, two heartbreaking losses of fathers, a lot of compromise, and a re-occurrence of hearing the phrase ¨y’all cant do that,¨ before receiving the keys to their forever dream home. But, you know what? They are in it. It is beautiful. They sit on the back porch in the evenings, watching the deer walk, and think, ¨Is this place really ours?¨
One of my favorite parts of their home is located on the north side of their house. My dad planted this beautiful plot of wildflowers. Throughout the year, that part of their property looks like weeds growing up in the grass that my dad just forgot to mow over. But int he spring and summer months, they bloom the most beautiful flowers of all colors. Their height reaches above my head. (And I am 5´9!) When we walk by those weeds, we know the beauty is to come; so we endure the eye sore.
My parents endured the heart sore of knowing months were being added to their move in date as complications arose during their dream home process. But the beauty was coming-they knew that. In 2 Corinthians 12:10, Paul says, ¨That is why, for Christ´s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.¨
Paul hadn’t lost his mind. He had, however, lost everything else. He boasts of all his weaknesses in 2 Corinthians 11:16-33: he tells of the days he was starving, hot, overworked, without clothes, without a drink, pressured, and worn out. You ever been there? When you scroll through all the social media posts right now, are you so worried about the future that you have lost your appetite? Are you fill of what ifs? Are you pressured by the mask wearers and the mask avoiders? Are you without basic essentials because of unemployment or even fear of going out? We are a weak society right now. It is not difficult to see that. It definitely is not difficult to feel it. Let God comfort you with the same words He comforted Paul with in the next chapter (2 Corinthians 12:9) ¨My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.¨
The power of God is hard for our humanly pea brains to grasp. Let´s go back to my folks property. When I sit on their porch and look up at the sky, I know what is beyond that sky. I know the heavenly world that surpasses the size and magnitude of this earthly world that we dwell in. I know that My Redeemer is alive and watching over me daily. I trust his words when he says, ¨Blessed are the poor…the mourners…the meek…the hungry…the peacemakers…the persecuted…¨ Because those people in those weak states will, ¨be comforted…be filled…shown mercy…inherit the kingdom of heaven…and see God.¨ Coronavirus is big. My God is bigger.
We have lots of questions regarding our students, our children, our jobs, our money, our education status, etc. We also have a lot of opinions regarding masks, safety, economic status, normalcy, etc. What are we supposed to do with all of these passions and fears welling up inside us? What do we do with all these opinions and reports that surround on our media and news feeds? BE BLESSED.
My preacher always says, if you look for wildflowers, you will find wildflowers, if you look for weeds, you will find weeds. We walk by that ugly patch of thistle for half of the year, but nothing negative is said because we know the beauty that is to come. Now, we didn’t always do that. The first year the flowers were blooming, we all had our doubts. It made the whole property look terrible. But, after we saw the possibilities of the first bloom, we were sold on the idea. (They make great backgrounds for pictures!)
It is tough to believe in the things we do not yet see. You can choose to wallow in the weeds, curse them, convince everyone around you that it looks ridiculous, but then what will you do when they start to bloom? Will you place blame on someone else for spreading the negativity? Psalms 37:5 says, ¨Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this.¨ The same God that has clothed you in blessings this far is not going to abandon you now, just because we are in our first pandemic. He clothed you on your first day of school. He clothed you in your first break up. He clothed you in the passing of a loved one. He clothed you in your most severe storms. Most importantly, He clothed you with righteousness when we were covered with sinful blemishes. Why wouldn’t He clothe you now?
Do you know what example Christ uses to describe the peace He gives during times of uncertainty? Flowers. ¨See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown in the fire, will he not much more clothe you-you of little faith?¨(Matthew 6:28-30) Easier said then done, sure. Our minds have been filled with worry for weeks! He gives you easy instructions a few verses later, ¨Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.¨ (Matthew 6:33)
Look at this.
It´s not an optical illusion. It is a faith check. What do you see first? Weeds, or future wildflowers? The blooms are one the way! Seek Him and He will clothe your decisions before, during, and after this pandemic.
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