What Do You See?

What you see depends on who you are, where you’ve been, what you are aware of, what you’re full of, and what you’re looking for.  When you look at today’s blog picture, what do you see?  Look again.  Now what do you see?  Keep looking.  What else are you seeing?  What questions begin to surface in your mind?

When tiny mustard seeds are planted in the ground, they may sprout up within three days.  Over time, their taproot can grow as deep as two to six feet deep in the soil.  They can grow into the largest of garden plants and even become trees.  Jesus was a tiny baby, sent from His loving Heavenly Father, to live and to die for our sins, in order to be raised to life, and to offer all who believe eternal life.  He offers shelter and hope and life for all who come to Him in faith.

Our lives are like mustard seeds.  They may seem tiny and insignificant, but the Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field.  The field God plants you in is His choice.  What God made you to produce with your life is by His design.  The deeper your roots go down over time into the soil of God’s marvelous love and truth, the more you will see your life, your people group(s), and your garden as God sees them. 

The more time and years you spend digesting, applying, praying, and sharing God’s Word, the more you will see and the more you will grow.  I don’t fully understand farming and agriculture.  I don’t fully understand God and His Word.  I don’t fully understand myself and people.  But I see and know more now than I used to. 

Your life is fully of images, pictures and stories.  They form over time.  Keep taking pictures and sharing your stories.  Here’s the picture and story from today’s blog.  I was the kid who couldn’t pay attention.  I hated school, and I hated reading.  I was full of anxiety and insecurity. I wasn’t introduced to coffee until I was in seminary.  Wow, I could see and focus for the first time in my life!  The pink papers block out the other words so I can focus and zoom in like Scooby-Doo and discover clues.  Words are highlighted, underlined, and circled that I keep focusing on until God helps me see what He’s saying. 

My life only bears fruit if I die to myself.  Nothing God made me for grows or produces life until I surrender my life, time, and talents for Him to plant and use to grow His Kingdom.  I would not have become a community pastor, deeply invested in God’s restorative work, had I not gone through all the adventures, joys, challenges, hurts of pastoring church, sports, and non-profit ministries.  God has used every person, experience, challenge, and lesson to shape me into who I am today.  I would never want to repeat or negotiate away any of them.  The Holy Spirit, people, and life has taught me to see what I now can see. 

My “faith” got smashed many times like the pictured penny I put on the railroad tracks behind my house when I pastored in Indiana.  Underneath the smashed coin, it says “doubt.”  But I no longer live by doubt or preach my doubt.  I live by my faith in Jesus Christ.  So many people around you have faith and doubt operating simultaneously.  Which one are you looking at?  That’s what you’ll see.  We usually find what we’re looking for. 

As I keep blogging and journeying with you, I hope we’re becoming increasingly transparent so we can see and know one another for who we are.  I hope we’re engaged together in a process of seeing and becoming what God made us for.  And I hope the Word of Christ, the peace of Christ, the healing love of Christ is helping you see, know, and understand more of what God sees.  And I pray that His truth will set you free. 

What field has God planted you in?

What needs to die in order for new life to grow?

What are you growing with your life?

Who is benefiting?