This morning on the radio, the announcer was talking about the display
that we see in spring, the beauty of the trees and flowers as they
bloom and leaf out. He compared it to what we see at Christmas, with
the lights and decorations. The Christmas displays have to be put up
so, without human effort, there would be nothing to see. On the other
hand, what we see in the spring is from God, and doesn't depend on
human effort. The beauty of spring far surpasses that of Christmas.
I
think the same thing is true in our lives. We try to please God by our
own efforts, by trying harder to not sin, by doing more spiritual
things, and by teaching others to do those things. So many times the
result is something far less than beautiful. Sometimes it looks like a
tacky artificial tree with the most fake looking ornaments, sometimes
it looks simply ugly.
By contrast, we can recognize that it is
only by the grace of a merciful Father that we have anything. Because
God is merciful and loving, and because Jesus has died for us on the
cross, we can rest in the fact that we are loved by the Creator of all
things and are heirs along with Jesus. If we fall into that endless,
amazing grace and let the Holy Spirit work in us and form us into the
image of Christ, the result will be something beautiful and
wondrous to behold. Like spring.
There
is another thing to remember when other people don't seem to "get it"
like we do. In spring, the plants don't all come out at the same time.
Sometimes even plants of the same species are on a different schedule.
So it is with God's children. We are all growing, just at different
rates. Back when I was a teenager (way back in the dark ages), there
was a popular saying among Christians: "Please be patient, God is not
finished with me yet". We need to remember that.
Comments (2)
At Trevecca my theology professor once told me that all metaphors are limited. While I know what you have shared here doesn't capture all of the magnitude of God I have to admit I don't feel limited or cheated, but rather I truly appreciate some of the illumination it has created. The teaching of God doing things well beyond our ability is one I can be far too wordy with, so I may just "borrow" this next time.
@Kingomediocrity - Feel free to borrow away!