"My
dear, now we are children of God, but it has not yet become clear what we will
become." (1
John 3:2 NIV)
We remain focused on yesterday's scripture
verse today, as we continue thinking on growth. Anders Frostensson writes in
one of his hymns: "Let me grow in
stillness, like a tree in the forest ...".
Trees can grow to
be very old and to observe a tree’s growth one must invest a very long time. In
the forest industry they speak of a harvest cutting cycle of at least 80 years.
That means it is not possible to perceive the growth of a tree from day to day.
Yet one can clearly observe that the tree has grown, if one were to get a bit
more perspective.
If it is
difficult to see the growth of a tree, it is perhaps more difficult to trace
the growth of a human being. It is true for both ourselves and for others.
Sometimes, when we fail in our Christian life, we wonder if there has actually
been a change at all. However, when we become Christians, a new cycle of life
begins to grow. Although we are perfect in God's eyes the moment we give our
lives to Him, we will not suddenly become a impeccable man who never does anything
wrong. The new life in us must continue to battle against the old self all our
life, and it can only grow through the nourishment we receive when living in
fellowship with God. It is in stillness
- just as the trees grow.
Prayer
Lord, help me to not give up when I fail to
be that which you want me to be. Help me to instead to seek to be closer to you
and get nourished in your mercy and your unconditional love for me.
No comments:
Post a Comment