I have been in ministry, or helping people, for the majority of my life now. When I was young, I felt like I was too young for people to listen to Me. Now sometimes I wonder if I’m too old!
I guess it always depends on our audience. It wasn’t until now though, that I felt that it was time to share many of lessons that I’ve learned in my 52 years.
In that time I have experienced times where it felt like I had arrived at my calling and I was producing great “fruit” in the works that I was trying to accomplish.
Then there were times of drought. Times when it felt like nothing that I did, or how hard I tried, would bring about what I considered good “fruit”. Times where it felt as if God was completely silent.
It wasn’t for lack of discipline or trying but He just wasn’t speaking. He just didn’t feel “present” in my life, and it really challenged my faith. I felt like Jesus when He felt like His Father had forsaken Him. Of course I wasn’t on a cross, taking on the sins of the World, but it did feel as if my Father had turned His eyes from me. I never doubted that God was real but I felt abandoned.
It was in those times that I had to learn to just STOP! This is how we learn to be obedient and not let our feelings dictate our actions and what we KNOW to be TRUTH. The TRUTH is that God is always good. We may not know “why” this is happening to us but we know that He does. He knows the end from the beginning and is never surprised by our circumstances!
It’s in these time where we learn how not to get anxious, while we are learning the patience of waiting. Patience is a “fruit of the Spirit” that we have to learn, as we mature in our faith.
After one of those times, which had lasted well over a year, I finally “heard” His voice again. It was Winter at the time and looking out the windows, all of the trees looked dead. He spoke to my Spirit and said, “They’re not dead. Although you can’t see their leaves or fruit, this is the most important time in their life cycle. It’s during this time that I’m making their bark thick and their roots deep, so that when the storms come, they will survive.”
There are so many teachings that we can learn from in nature, and the teachings from the trees are definitely good ones!
You see, there are people in our lives who look like they’ve got it all. They’re like the big, beautiful canopy trees, that all of the other trees must envy. They’re big and glorious! People use them to protect themselves from rain or sun. Everyone wants a picture under them. What other trees wouldn’t be jealous?
Until a big storm hits and because their roots were too shallow, and their canopies too big, the wind easily uproots them and ultimately they die.
Then there are the Palm Trees that have deep roots and have learned flexibility, so that when the storms come, they are secure and bendable in the winds.
Next there is the lesson of the fruit on the trees. It’s important to produce good fruit but if it’s harvested too soon, it’s bitter and bad. It can even make a person sick. When fruit is ready to be harvested though, it will fall off the tree on its own. It’s ready and sweet!
This teaching applies to many of the truths in our lives, that we wish others could understand, but when we force it upon them, it’s bitter and bad. When God is ready to allow you to speak truth into someone else’s life, He will make it sweet and good for that person! This is maturity of faith. To know when to speak and when to simply take them to the Father, and pray.
As we each focus our lessons and teachings inwardly, on becoming the best people that we can be for Him, our fruit will be helpful to others who want to know what we know. By focusing on getting the log out of our own eyes, we become people that others want to hear from.
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