growing like weeds

i love how God speaks often speaks to me in the middle of some of the most unexpected and simple tasks.  not too long ago I was outside one morning and had one of those light bulb moments with the Lord.  all while setting up the sprinkler to water the yard. 

a bit of the back story here.  my husband and I had lived in that house for 7 years, but had never really been concerned with watering the yard until this past spring.  the grass, or lack thereof, very quickly became a priority when we found out we would need to sell the house.  we had lived there for 7 years.  we had watered here and there, but never consistently.  we didn’t feel we had the time, nor did we want to run up the water bill.  once a year in the spring my husband usually made a feeble attempt to put down seed, fertilizer, and/or weed killer, or some combination of the three.  and then the rest of the year we joked about how we didn’t really have to mow the grass, we just had to mow the weeds.  because that’s all that grew in our yard.  WEEDS. 

so back to the real point of this blog entry.   as I was setting up the sprinkler to water the yard that morning, I realized that for the first time in 7 years, we actually had GRASS growing in our yard.  hmmmmm.  who would have thought that in order for grass to grow, you actually have to water it?!!! what we had been trying to do was to kill and prevent the weeds.  all that time we could have saved the money we spent on seed and fertilizer if we had just given the yard water!  those of you who are regular gardeners are laughing at this point like, DUH!  but I do NOT have a green thumb so this was a true revelation to me.

and then it hit me.  my kids are the same way.  if I don’t take the time and effort to water them, all that will grow in their lives is weeds.  and I think that is where our society is today.  we have too many children who are “growing like weeds.”    children will grow up whether they are cared for or not.  the problem is, if they are not being fed and watered and given the care and nurturing they so desperately need, they will not thrive.  and I'm not just talking about food here, true heart nourishment.  so many children in our society are raising themselves.  but even in good homes, parents are becoming more and more selfish and not truly investing in their children in the short time that they are in their homes. too many parents are just trying to make sure their kids “turn out ok.”  too many of us are doing nothing more than reacting to the bad stuff in their lives, or trying to prevent it.  we must do more if we expect them to grow and flourish.  we must water them. 

and the water our children need only comes from one source – Jesus.   we must make sure we are continually pouring God’s Word and God’s love into them.  we must tend to them.  we must take them to Jesus on our knees.  and we must take Jesus to them – teach them His Word, love them patiently, deeply, sacrificially.  we must also realize that in their lives there will be seasons where nothing seems to be growing.  everything will look as though it is dead.  it may even seem as though all hope is lost.  but we must keep teaching. keep praying.  keep loving.  keep watering. 

“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” (John 7:38)

“But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.  He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.  Whatever he does prospers.” (Psalms 1:2-3)

God is not a vending machine

God is not a vending machine.  and yet we often treat him as though he is. 

we stick our money in and punch the buttons and expect to get exactly what we ordered.  and what we ordered is often just junk.  and sometimes God withholds this junk from us.  so we proceed to throw our fit.  we think if we can just find the right formula or punch the right buttons or put in some more money or kick and scream loud enough that our much coveted stuff will fall into our hands. 

but let us not be mistaken.  unlike some vending machines that you can kick in just the right spot to get them to cooperate, our God will not be manipulated.  but here's the thing: we don't need to manipulate him.  He is not a vending machine; He is a good and loving Father.  we don't need to put in more money or pray the right prayer or find the magic formula.  all we have to do is ask.  He is standing there with hands wide open to meet our every need and to bless us beyond our wildest dreams. 

now this does not mean that He will give us everything we want.  just like I don't give my children everything they want because I know what's good for them and what's not.  I withhold the junk because I love them.  but when we have a need, or even a desire, all we have to do is ask.  and He may not always say yes, or do things the way I expect, but talking to a loving Father is a lot better than kicking and screaming at a big metal box. 

Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."

Luke 11:11-13 "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?  Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?  If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who will ask him?" 

James 1:17 "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

proprioreceptive neuromuscular facilitation stretching and Jesus

this analogy is going to be a stretch (haha - pun very intended - you'll see in a minute).
 

like most of us that attended college.  i like to throw out weird crazy academic terms every once in a while for two reasons:
1) i love getting funny looks and,
2) its nice to remind myself that I actually graduated from college and did aquire some knowledge at some point

somewhere during my academic career I was introduced to this term: proprioreceptive neuromuscular facilitation stretching.  sounds like fun, huh?  and since I played college soccer, I also had the opportunity to  experience this form of stretching with a trainer firsthand.  it actually came in very handy as I am probably the least flexible person on earth. 

but back to the point.  wikipedia defines pnf stretching like this: " generally an active pnf stretch involves a shortening contraction of the opposing muscle to place the target muscle on stretch, this is followed by an isometric contraction of the target muscle."  whaaaaaa?????  i'll try to put it in lay terms.

basically, if you want to give your weary hamstring a good ole stretch, you would lay on your back and put one legstraight up in the air.  you would then have someone  help you push your leg back towards your body (knee towards your nose)  as far as you could stretch and hold it for 10-20 seconds.  after 20 or so seconds, you would contract your hamstring and push against the person with your leg, using that same muscle group.  after pushing against them for 10 seconds, you then relax the muscle and they continue to stretch your leg towards your body. sounds like fun, huh?  what's cool is, the second time they push, you then miraculously find that you can stretch further than the first.  clear as mud?

well, i am going to attempt to relate this pnf stretching technique to the life of a Christ-follower.  it made sense to me. i was hoping it may makes sense to someone else, even if it is just one or two kinesiology geeks out there. 

as Christians, when we walk in obedience to God's commands, and carry out His love, sometimes, uh, no, all the time, it stretches us.  it stretches our faith, our family, our budget, our endurance, our patience, everything.  and often, just when we feel like we're about to snap, he asks us to push just a little harder.  give a little more, push a little further, spend a little more time, have one more kid, wait a little longer.  and then when he knows the time is right, he asks us to relax, and rest.  and the funny thing is, the next time, we are further than we were before. 

i have experienced this first hand being a parent and then foster parent.  we have 3 biological children.  at some point after each child was born, I thought, "how in the world could I ever handle more?"  and then when our "quiver was full" with 3, God led us to become foster parents.  there was some serious doubt involved in this request, as there were days where I was asking God, "are you crazy? I can't even handle the 3 I've got!!!!"  but every time God moved me forward, encouraging me and reminding me that he would provide. 

we just finished our first foster placement where we had a child in our home for 4 months.  it was very difficult at times. i was definitely beyond my own limits there were days where i thought i would snap. but the funny thing is that i have never felt God's presence so near.  and it was like he was holding me, stretching me, encouraging me the whole time.  and all of a sudden, she was gone from our home.  and we are able to look back and see the tremendous amount of growth that took place.  its amazing what God can do when we put our lives in his hands.

the scary thing is, now that we are in a season of rest, we know the next time we will be pushed further.  scary, or exciting?  yes.  and i am so glad because i want to be able to look back at my life and see adventure, not predictability.  i want to see springs of living water, not a stagnant muck.  Lord knows i don't want to stay the same.  i want to be stretched and grow stronger, and grow to be more like HIM.