May 21, 2008
I
looked at the huge boulder in amazement. It was the size of a semi trailer, and
made of stone so hard that it would take me years to break it up using a
sledgehammer, yet growing in the middle of it was a bush.
What
made that possible?
The
hardest stone can be worn down and become a place of fertile soil over time.
Wind wears away at the surface, slowly grinding it. Rain pounds away at it. A
drop of water seeps into a crevice freezes and expands.
Moss
and lichens attach and slowly begin to break down the rock. A seed lands in the
moss, grows and dies. The decaying plant leaves a little spot for another seed
to take hold and last just a little longer. The cycle continues on and on for
years.
It
took years, perhaps centuries before that bush could get rooted and have enough
soil to sustain life, and bear fruit. Its roots continue to crack the rock,
weaken it and continue the process.
Our
hearts are like that stone. They are made hard by life or sometimes they start
off hard and cold. Slowly the Lord can change them. Moment by small moment,
victory by small victory, our hardened hearts can become places where small
shoots of life can appear. Soon our hardened hearts have become fertile soil and
we are bearing fruit.
When
we accept the Lord, the process begins. We can fight His changes or open
ourselves up to the maturing process and bear fruit more quickly and abundantly.
For
most of us the fruit doesn’t come overnight, there is a lot of hardened heart
to be ground, pounded and shaped before it becomes good soil. He is patient; He
will take the time it needs to transform our stone hearts into fruit-filled
orchards.
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I
always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first
day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you
will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. It is right for me
to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I
am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's
grace with me. God
can testify
how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
And this is
my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of
insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and
blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that
comes through Jesus Christ--to the glory and praise of God.
Philippians 1:3-11 NIV
Until
next time, when life seems to grind you down and wear on your heart, rejoice and
praise God for the fruit you will bear.
God
bless.
Darrel
Mason