Annie
Scriptures:
Ephesians 3:20 John 10:10 John 12:24 Matthew 18:2-4 Galatians 5:22 During our 5 weeks of “lockdown” we had the joy and delight of having 4 generations living on our 10 acres of farmland, the youngest being our 3 year old great grandson. It was such a blessing to watch him, to listen to him chattering away, using an imagination that astounded and entranced me. We saw him grow and develop in those 5 weeks as he learnt new skills; by watching and listening to his Grandad, Nana and Pop he was soon helping put the temporary fences up each night for the cattle, he became adept at feeding the chickens and collecting the eggs, and he very soon discovered how to harvest the walnuts (and how to use a nutcracker to sample them).
In such a short time, because he was with people who had time, and who loved him as much as we all do, he blossomed, and the more he was learning, the more he wanted to learn.
This was such a beautiful parable for me. We have a Father who always has time, who loves us beyond measure and who adores seeing us grow in our spiritual lives. All He asks of us is a desire to know Him more, to seek Him in all we do, to open our eyes to His Kingdom that we live in right now and to blossom in the abundant Life He has given us. But first, we must learn to put aside our ways, our ideas of how life should be and, as Jesus said, just like a corn of wheat to fall into the ground and die so that the new Life may grow.
This spiritual growth is not going to be easy. It took several times of getting stuck, with legs tangled in the wires before our “big man” mastered the art of climbing a 6 wire fence. Most importantly it took listening, realising that Grandad was giving him instructions that would help him and that his own way of doing things just wasn’t working.
Abba Father’s desire is for us to grow closer to Him, so that we can enjoy the Life He bought with such a high price for us. So that we can bring forth much fruit, and that the fruit will remain. Can you even imagine that? The fruit that grows in our lives now, remains for all of eternity.
How, then, do we grow spiritually? Firstly, we must learn about the environment we live in, we must learn the Kingdom rules – yes, there are rules to living in the Kingdom of God. And the most important rule to learn is that we are not in charge in this Kingdom, God is. His Ways are so much higher than our ways, He sees the end from the beginning, He created us, formed us and knows what is best for us.
So we listen, we absorb, we ask questions and we try, try and try again. No matter how many times we fall, if we pick ourselves up, turn to our Abba Father and allow Him to tell us what we did that made us fall, and what we need to do to not fall again, He will be cheering us on, encouraging us, hugging us and telling us what a great job we are doing.
Spiritual growth is all about becoming a little child, being prepared to give things that God shows us a try, not being afraid of failing. Why? Because we have a Father who will never stop loving us, never stop wanting us to trust Him more and more and more, and Who will always pick us up.
Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for being so patient, so loving, so faithful when we do, with our whole being, try to imitate Christ, taking our baby steps into living day by day in Your Kingdom. Thank You for nurturing, encouraging and teaching us as we grow in our walk with You. Amen
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