Tenacity

 

                                                                                

photo by Laurie Collett 2024

Experts in child development have said that very young children do not particularly enjoy magic tricks because they view everything around them as magical. The sun appears every morning, only to disappear every evening, replacing the golden gleam of the day with the black velvet of the night sky, bejeweled with countless tiny diamonds.

Adults, on the other hand, can become jaded, failing to see the miracles occurring in our daily lives, or dismissing them as merely the predictable outcome of scientific principles, and of reactions involving matter and energy. We therefore are more likely to appreciate magic shows, in which our beliefs about reality seem to be challenged in ways that surprise and amaze us.

I enjoy a good magic show as one of many forms of entertainment, particularly if it is performed with artistry and storytelling. But when I want to see a miracle evolving before my eyes, I am blessed that I don’t have to fly to Las Vegas and pay top dollar to see a first-rate magician. Rather, I can just make a quick visit to the hydroponic garden in our laundry room!

God’s creation is miraculous indeed, far surpassing any illusion or sleight-of-hand we might experience in a theatre! How a tiny seed can contain the genetic blueprint for a complex plant, and then quickly develop into that plant when exposed to water, light, and a few nutrients, baffles the imagination. But with God, all things are possible! (Matthew 19:26).

The Lord Jesus Christ created plants and all things by the Word of His mouth (Genesis 1). He is the Living Water (John 4:10), the Light of the world (John 8:12; 9:5), and the Bread of Life (John 6:35,48), providing all that plants need to grow, and all that we need to grow as Christians, who have trusted in His death, burial and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6).

My most recent planting includes cucumbers, which astound me with their tenacity in accomplishing their God-given purpose. They germinate quickly, even when planted upside down! In that case, the young shoot still pushes up defiantly from its porous support, often sporting the remains of the seed coating like a jaunty cap!

They develop rapidly, first two undifferentiated primary leaves, then two secondary leaves that grow into mature, prickly cucumber leaves. Then lovely yellow flowers tilt their faces toward the light, and as these dry up, a green, fuzzy bump appears and soon elongates into an immature cucumber.

Meanwhile, thin tendrils spiral outward from the main stem, fanning out in all directions looking for something to support them. In my hydroponic garden, where various plants occupy neighboring pods, the cucumbers need constant close supervision!

Left unchecked, the curly, sticky ends of the tendrils loop themselves around whatever happens to be nearby – a lettuce leaf, a radish stem, the electric cords supplying the lights, or even the lights themselves. I marvel at their tenacity in wrapping so tightly around their neighbors, but I have to step in and untangle them, freeing the other plants and training the cucumber tendrils around a more suitable support, such as the pipes housing the hydroponic pods.

Such tenacity is widespread throughout God’s creation. In the two years since Hurricane Ian, it is reassuring to see the destroyed vegetation rebounding at our favorite beach getaway. Tall, lush Norfolk Island pine trees that once seemed to brush against the ceiling of heaven were felled to the ground by nearly 200 mph gales, leaving only jagged, ugly stumps. But these have gradually started to grow again, not nearly as tall, but at least graced with pine boughs.

A pair of osprey had nested there for many years, only to disappear after Ian when their home was destroyed. But recently, I have heard their plaintive cry near their former nest, and on our most recent trip, I saw a female perched near the top of the regrowing tree, while her mate circled lazily in the skies above. Thanks to their resilience and tenacity, chicks will follow soon, in the same neighborhood, if not the same nest that Ian destroyed.

It reminds me that God also endowed each of His children with a resolve to accomplish His unique purpose for their lives. Like the cucumbers, we too can be tenacious in clinging to various supports, some of which are more suitable than others. Do we attempt to succeed by being overly reliant on our neighbors, like the lettuce and radishes planted near the cucumbers? If so, are we perhaps inadvertently choking off their growth and not advancing our own?    

What happens when our comfort zone suddenly disappears, like the osprey nest washed away in the storm? Or even worse, when our entire support system crumbles, like the pine trees razed to the ground? Do we turn away from God and blame Him for our upheaval, or do we draw closer to Him in prayer and in His Word, relying on Him to sustain us no matter what our external circumstances?

Sometimes God removes not only our blessings, but what we believe we need to survive. Job lost his wealth, family, and health, all in short order, yet he never cursed God (Job 2:9-10). In turn, God rewarded His faithfulness by restoring to him what he had lost and doubling his material wealth (Job 42:10).

Noah preached to mockers for nearly a century, following God’s command to build an ark to withstand a global flood coming to an earth that had never experienced rain, and God rewarded him and his family by saving them from the deluge and appointing them to restart the human race (Genesis 5:32-10:1).

Moses graciously accepted God’s “time out,” spending years tending sheep in the desert until God used him to lead His people out of Egypt (Exodus 3) and to the Promised Land – a journey that would take four decades of governing a stubborn, rebellious, complaining people (Joshua 5:6).

David also spent his youth tending sheep, perhaps wondering if God would ever use the gifts He gave him of courage, leadership, music and poetry. Not only did God make David chief musician to King Saul and ultimately King himself (1 Samuel 16), but He allowed him to establish his house as perpetual ruler over Israel (Jeremiah 33:17; 1 Kings 2:45), which in the Millennial Kingdom will culminate in the Lord Jesus Christ Himself (Luke 1:32).

The tenacity of all these heroes of the faith (Hebrews 11) is surpassed only by that of our Lord and Savior, Who left His heavenly throne and came to earth as human flesh (John 1:14), knowing that He was born to die to be the perfect sacrifice for our sins, reconciling sinful man to Holy God (John 1:29). He resisted every temptation that humanity has ever encountered, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15). He endured rejection by His own people, mockery from the religious leaders of His day, betrayal by His closest friends, and humiliation and physical suffering at the hands of those He came to save (Matthew 26-27).

Worst of all, Jesus Christ endured momentary separation from His Holy Father as He became sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21). He tenaciously set His face like a flint (Isaiah 50:7) as He viewed Jerusalem, where He would be sacrificed as a Lamb led to the slaughter (Isaiah 53:7). He endured the cross, despising the shame, for the joy of bringing salvation and eternal life to all who trusted Him (Hebrews 12:2). 

May we follow His example of tenacity, clinging not to our possessions, status, or power, or even to our health and relationships, but in putting our complete faith in and reliance on Almighty God, Who alone can save, sustain, restore and redeem us!

© 2024 Laurie Collett

Restoration May First Mean Removal

Photo by Kanko 2007

I dreamed that I was attending a church retreat at a rural location in which there were several small, primitive outbuildings scattered in the woods. After the long drive to get there, I wanted to change my clothes and freshen up before the services began, so I went into a shed, locked the door and sat at a small dressing table. There was no electricity, but enough light penetrated the small grimy window for me to barely see my reflection in the mirror.

As I began applying my makeup, I was horrified to see that the blush and foundation were disintegrating in their containers, and that clumps of bristles were falling out of the brushes. I realized too late that the shed where I had chosen to change was actually used for antique furniture refinishing, and that the fumes from paint stripper and other solvents were eating away at the cosmetics, not to mention my skin and lungs!

I ran out of the shed in a panic and was relieved to breathe the fresh air outside, to experience the light breeze and warm sun on my skin, and to rinse my face and hands in a bubbling fountain. As I discarded the cosmetics and applicators, I was surprised to experience a sense of freedom, rather than anxiety or embarrassment, at not being able to conceal my imperfections.

When I awoke the next morning, I was reminded of a sermon I had heard the day before on God’s power of restoration. Before God can restore a believer to spiritual wholeness, sometimes He allows His child to experience a great financial, physical, or emotional loss.

The symbolism of the dream reminded me that before a fine antique can be restored to its original beauty and design, it must first be stripped of layers of paint, varnish, and grime. Thoughtfully applied makeup may enhance our physical appearance, but we must remove it and thoroughly wash our face at the end of the day, or our skin will break out in blemishes. Cleansing is essential not only to take off the makeup, but also dead skin cells and dirt that accumulate during the day.

As we go through life, we become adept at quick fixes: a dab of concealer to hide dark circles after a sleepless night; a forced smile when our heart is breaking; or a white lie about our friend’s new dress complimenting her figure, to distract us from addressing her shopping addiction resulting from emotional neediness.

But these quick fixes cannot fool God. There is no sense in trying to hide our weaknesses from Him, for He knows all about them and us, even better than we know ourselves (Job 42:3; Psalm 139:1-6). He knows not only our sins of omission or commission, but even the dark thoughts that seep from our wicked heart (Psalm 139:23-24). He knows our physical, financial and emotional problems and is working on the solution before we even ask Him (Matthew 6:8,32).

Yet sometimes the solution to our crisis, or even to our chronic challenges, is radical removal of what we think we need to solve the problem on our own. In the dream, the makeup fell apart and became useless before I could even apply it, and the paint stripper fumes forced me outdoors into the light, where cleansing and healing could begin.

The breeze and fresh air symbolized the renewing power of the Holy Spirit (Genesis 1:2; Acts 2:1-4), and the sunlight and fountain represented Jesus, the Light of the world (John 8:12) and the Living Water (John 4:10-14; Revelation 7:17) from Whom all blessings flow (James 1:17).

Jesus taught that on our own, we can do nothing (John 15:5), but that with God, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, The apostle Paul realized that God’s grace is sufficient, and that His strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). Yet so often we turn to our own feeble, manmade strategies that give us a false sense of control, rather than taking our burden to the foot of His cross and leaving it there for Him to handle in His perfect way, with His perfect timing (1 Peter 5:7).

But sometimes when we feel we are being stripped of our own illusory powers, we panic and fail to realize that His greater plan is at work. Sometimes He must bring us to our knees and remove all that we hold dear before we accept that He alone holds our future; that He will allow no trial into our life unless it is for our good and His glory (Romans 8:28); and that His infinite love (1 John 4:8), power (2 Samuel 22:33; Psalm 62:11) and wisdom (Job 36:5; Daniel 2:20) will restore to us many times over what we have lost.

This is clear in the story of Job, who through no fault of his own suffered the loss of all that he had, except for his life and that of his spouse. God allowed Satan to strip Job of his children, wealth, and health, to settle a dispute between Himself and Satan, and to allow Job the opportunity to prove himself faithful to God even in extreme adversity (Job 1).

But when Job was faithful not only to accept God’s will, but also to pray for his “friends” despite their lack of encouragement and support, God restored to him his health, his wealth many times over, and even blessed him with more children  (Job 42).

The ultimate example of removal before restoration is when God brings a nonbeliever to his knees by whatever means necessary – danger, disease, financial crisis, loss of a loved one. As the saying goes, there are no atheists in foxholes. These extreme trials may result in devastating loss, yet if they bring someone to abandon their reliance on self and trust in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way (John 14:6) to Heaven, the eternal restoration infinitely outweighs the removal of temporal assets.

When we experience loss in our lives, may we prove faithful as Job to trust God for the ultimate, manifold restoration of priceless blessings!

© 2018 Laurie Collett