15 Apr A Season of Growth: What are you cultivating?
We have entered Spring, a season of physical growth. Trees are budding, perennials are emerging and chicks, ducklings and all sorts of animals are entering this world to begin their own journeys. Planet Earth is in full swing of its annual rebirth.
As creatures of this planet, we are also experiencing this growth. Daunted with the task of navigating COVID-19, our spring awakening is different this year than those of the past. It is asking more of us and calling us to grow and evolve to deal with these challenging times.
We often think we are in control, that life is secure. And when events like COVID-19 occur, we feel we no longer have that control. That loss of control can cause us to feel worry, fear, frustration, depression, desperation and anxiety. That mental warfare then floods into the other areas of our life. Our concentration at work suffers, our ability to lovingly connect with family and friends disintegrates, and our capacity to access peace of mind dissipates at a rapid-fire pace. Sit for a moment and think about how that impacts your life, how fear shapes your choices and the results those choices create.
There is so much uncertainty about the upcoming weeks and months. But the truth of the matter is that we never had control to begin with. God has the ultimate control. We could have the best economy and suddenly lose our job. We could have a healthy family and unfortunately lose a loved one. At any time and in any moment, we could experience an unexpected hardship. We are never fully in control and the moment we embrace the truth that God holds all the cards, we can then access emotional and spiritual peace to help us transition any period of life – no matter what our perceived level of control may be.
When we face a crisis but have faith as an ally, our response and experience is vastly different. We are able to grow the fruits of faith which are, but not limited to: Peace, grace and CERTAINTY (Yes! Certainty that God will lead us through whatever is thrown our way). Think about how that impacts your emotional and spiritual well-being. With peace of mind, we are then able to create joy, meaningful experiences, clarity, motivation and love – all things that positively impact every area of our lives and the lives of those we touch.
In Hebrews 11:1, faith is defined as “…the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” It is trusting in an outcome without knowledge of the who, what, when, where, how and why. When we place this faith in man (whether that is ourselves, another or an organization), we may be let down. Man is fallible and can only see limited possibilities. But when we place this faith in God, the one who is all-knowing, all-loving and infinite in possibility, we set ourselves up for greater outcomes.
There are three tenets of faith to truly live it: patience, courage and trust. Patience in God’s timing, courage to act (or not depending on what He is calling you to in a given moment) and trust in His guidance. Right now, and without a doubt, we are challenged this Springtime to grow our trust – trust in God, trust in His plan and trust in His guidance. We are to trust that we will emotionally, physically, spiritually and financially survive the weeks that lie ahead and if we don’t survive it in the way we anticipated, that we trust God will lead us to our next chapter and provide new blessings in our lives, perhaps even bringing greater joy than we previously knew possible.
My hope is that you experience a growth in faith this Spring. Should you allow trust to infiltrate your heart, you will see the fruits of faith develop right in front of your eyes. Peace, clarity, joy, loving impact, a new way of life, a new way to create growth that reaches out and positively impacts everyone you love.
by Molly Roman