Seeds of the heart

 

Recently I was out enjoying the beautiful day and ran across a dead tree. What caught my eye was not only the tree, but also the cottonwood seeds being blown by the wind. Together with the dead tree in the background, it created a beautiful picture of life and death. The tree representing death and the seeds representing birth or new life. I imagined that this tree was once magnificent strong and beautiful amidst the other trees in the forest. Even though it had long-since died, it did not stop new life from happening every day. The seeds were being blown all over the forest to grow and become trees themselves. This tree was now merely a backdrop to the demonstration of life and death.

Stop for a second and imagine Jesus hanging on an old dead tree, noticing all the people watching him die. Like the seeds and the tree, He knew that life was not stopping even though His was at that moment. That His death would be the beginning for new life. Jesus could see both life and death in the same moment! In the crowd that day stood John, His disciple, and he knew that through John the seeds of life would be planted in men and women’s hearts everywhere. That after His resurrection all of His disciples would plant seeds of life in people’s hearts. A dead tree would be a catalyst for new life!

Often we go about our day, living our lives, missing opportunities to be seed planters. People we see everyday are like that dead tree, all around them life is happening but they feel dead inside. Yet we get so caught up with ourselves we can’t see past our own noses. We were made to plant seeds of hope in the hearts of others! Don’t waste what Jesus did for you on that dead tree!

Open it Up

John 19:25-27

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John 19

Of hidden pacifiers and treasure

Panic ensues at my house whenever we have lost the much coveted Pacifier. We affectionately call it the Passey and it holds a special place in the heart of my son Caden. This Passey is worth more than gold at my house because it ensures that we will have a peaceful night of sleeping or that a nap will not be a battle. We, as parents, know all to well the battle that will be waged when the infamous “Passey” has gone missing. We have probably spent a small fortune on Pacifiers over the last 5 years. I could have put my kids through college or bought an awesome moon rock, but what do we have to show for it? One measly Pacifier.

There have to be literally hundreds of pacifiers somewhere in our house! They almost seem to disappear into thin air. It’s like there is a Pacifier monster in our house or this really old man that lives under the floor boards who has an insatiable appetite for collecting Pacifiers. Our other theory is that my son deliberately hides them, then stages a fit just to see his parents panic. We believe that he and his siblings have a pool going to see which parent finds the Pacifier first and how long it takes us. Small wagers of fruit snacks, assorted lolly pops, fruit loops, found barbie heads, week-old fermented Sippy cup that has been recently found next to the mysterious odor (dirty diaper) hidden underneath the back corner of the couch. My wife and I swear that this is happening. We will turn the house inside out looking for one, and sometimes the back yard, as well. And how sweet the sight of that Pacifier when it is found!

In our family, we look desperately for a Pacifier in order to help us bring peace to our house. We leave no rock unturned and when it is found we celebrate and do whatever we can to make sure we do not lose it again. We find something that has value and we keep it safe so that it can never be taken away from us.

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” (Matt. 13:44)

You may think that searching for a Pacifier is silly, and I would agree. The problem is that we all have something we are constantly searching for in order to bring us peace, to quiet our lives. Most of us have found this in Christ Jesus, yet we do not consider it of much worth, we have forgotten the treasure that we found years ago. Remind yourself of where your treasure lies.

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Matt 13:44-46

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Matt. 13

 

I Didn’t Start the Fire

I love all of the sights and sounds of spring. It is definitely one of my favorite times of year. Growing up in the Midwest, every spring brought the burning of grass. Grass is burned to remove the old dead brown grass and allow new green grass to grow. There is danger in burning grass, as it can quickly get out of control. Yet there is excitement in that danger–the thrill of something uncontrollable! Whenever a grass fire is out of control and it is burning acre upon acre you quickly understand how beautifully dangerous grass fires can be. Every time I smell burning grass it brings back memories and makes me think of something new, fresh, dangerous.

When Jesus enters into your life, you are a lot like the grass that is burned. He enters your heart and quickly burns away the old person you once were. He replaces your old heart and gives you a new one. He removes all the baggage that you were carrying around with you and lightens your load. He says that you are a new creation; the old is gone and the new has come. He does this because clinging to the old parts of yourself does not allow you to grow. He has to burn away the old parts of who you were so that you can grow into the person that you are supposed to be.

It is always so refreshing to me to see someone who is experiencing the newness of Christ in their life. They are wild, untamed, and beautifully dangerous. Just like the fire, they are burning out of control. They want the whole world to know that they have a relationship with Jesus. They are refreshing to be around, they look different, act different, they are on fire. Then something happens as we grow into “mature” believers–the fire that was once so unstoppable suddenly becomes “controlled.” The winds of passion are not blowing and we are careful and cautious in our relationship with Jesus. We do not want to “burn” anyone with Jesus so we conceal that light under a bush and go around hiding the fire that was at one time burning so brightly. We become more worried about offending someone than helping them catch fire also.

Start embracing the beautiful, dangerous fire of Jesus and allow the Holy Spirit to reignite what has been smoldering inside of you. There are people in front of your eyes that long to be set ablaze by the love of Jesus! Release control, because this fire cannot be controlled, and no one can ever extinguish it.

 

Real Talk

I’ve been convicted of this lately. This post comes from a place of vulnerability, as I feel I have been “hiding” Jesus under a bushel. Not intentionally, but under the mantle of “being controlled” which in my mind translates into fear. I have forgotten what boldness with Christ looks like, what being unashamed of the Gospel means.

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2 Corinthians 5:17

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2 Corinthians 6