Encouragement – Page 8 – the lovely unexpected

Cultivate.

We live in a world full of quick fixes & immediate satisfaction-we’re told: “anything you want; you deserve to have.” We want to see the beautiful end product, the happy ending, the conclusion & the destination. But the fact is that God created life to be a process: a journey.

While thinking about the sometime seemingly slow process of life; the word “cultivate” has come up frequently in this new year and it’s been a reminder to trust that no test, trial, or season is ever wasted. So I looked up the meaning of the word cultivate…

to foster the growth of
to grow/care for
to raise/assist

“Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.” -Psalm 37:3 [NASB]

What a beautiful picture of what Jesus is doing in our lives. Just as a farmer is patient, intentional, diligent & hard-working in cultivating his fragile and vulnerable crops; Jesus is doing the same in our hearts. The farmer knows what he is doing—he has a goal & purpose in mind and also has the tools, knowledge, and resources needed to fulfill those plans.

“For we are God’s fellow workers [His servants working together]; you are God’s cultivated field [His garden, His vineyard], God’s building.” – 1 Cor. 3:9 [AMP]

A farmer knows where he will plant, what seeds he will place there and why, he waters, weeds, persistently protects, nourishes and patiently waits. He gently cares and does everything in his power to make his crops fruitful—even if that means pruning and doing what temporarily hurts.

“For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn to you [in favor], and you shall be cultivated and sown.” Ezekiel 36:9

The growing process is hard, long, & anything but glamorous…but what it produces in you is more than your heart could ever imagine. As you trust the One who sees the end from the beginning He grows and strengthens your faith in Him. Trust Him when He plants seeds and pulls weeds. Trust Him when He prunes and waters. Trust Him when He picks and replants. What He has purposed He will accomplish; He will always complete what He has started. His word will not return to Him void.

It is a process and in our own strength we are helpless to wait because everything in our human mind and reasoning wants to take control. Long-suffering is something that only the Spirit of God can produce in us.

“Let us not grow weary or become discouraged in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap, if we do not give in.” Gal. 6:9

Don’t deceive yourself to believe that this fast paced, never stopping, comfortable life portrayed and idolized by society is how it was meant to be…that we’re living the dream when we’re living for ourselves: chasing our own passions, pursuits and ambitions. I pray we would desperately long to love God’s desires more than our own & that we would follow after His heart and run from of our own. How much the enemy of our souls would love for us to believe that we’re pursuing what really matters as we chase after what the world values: only to come to the end of our lives and find that the rat-race lead to destruction.

“If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me will save it. What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet loses or forfeits his very self?” – Luke 9:23-25

I want to spend my life chasing what matters.

Trust that He is sovereign, constant, faithful & trustworthy. He is working, cultivating, strengthening, and growing—in the small, simple, routine things that go unappreciated and unseen He sees and He cares. Every chore, kind word, prayer, hurt, & tear: He knows. There are many ordinary tasks in a day; but not one of them is without purpose when done in worship, to glorify Jesus. God is always using the mundane in our lives to accomplish something greater in us. He is bringing it all together to work the extraordinary. One day you’ll look back and see that when you thought He’d forgotten He was there; holding you thru it all.

Don’t lose sight of today’s purpose: remember that He is cultivating you.

“In the soil, I now surrender
You are breaking new ground
So I yield to You and to Your careful hand
When I trust You I don’t need to understand”

– “New Wine” by Hillsong

“If not, He is still good.”

“If not, He is still good.”

Those are not words you utter once and go on the rest of your life believing with determined, unwavering resolve. No, those are words that must rise as your soul’s song each and everyday—no matter what you are facing—even if it’s not what you expected. Through the years, that quote has been an anthem in my heart. There have been seasons where it has been easier to accept, trust and rejoice in those words: knowing His goodness with full assurance. And there have also been seasons where I have struggled to believe them: days (weeks…years…) when I doubt and wrestle to declare His goodness through the tears and hurt.

But through it all He is still good and His goodness is not determined by my circumstances; even if it doesn’t feel good … He is still good.

The enemy and my flesh lie: causing me to doubt God’s character. Maybe you can relate, in my head it sounds like this: “How could He be good if _____ happened?” “How could He be faithful if I feel alone?” “I know I’m supposed to wait…but it’s in my power to get it and I’d rather have it now.” “How could He be good if I don’t have ______?”

“God is too good to be unkind and He is too wise to be mistaken. And when we cannot trace His hand, we must trust His heart.” — Charles Spurgeon

There have been times where I have looked at God’s commands and purpose and have believed them to be burdensome, boring, irrational, and only in place to keep me from “enjoying life”. I know in my head that God’s plan is “good” but there have been times that I, honestly, have not desired it because I believed it wouldn’t be as fulfilling, abundant, or joy-filled as my own. That is a lie and is the voice of my own pride and self-righteousness. Those belief’s have come from a misunderstanding and lack of knowledge of who God is and when I begin to have those thoughts I must remind myself of God’s word and ask Him to correct my view of Him so I can see Him more clearly and trust Him more deeply. My Father, who created me, the world, and everything in it, knows how to give good & perfect gifts: in His time and in His way. Don’t you think the One who created you and the gift would know when and how to give it? I know it is hard and will cost you follow God’s Words & walk the narrow way, but distrust of God’s plan is ultimately distrust of God Himself. “If you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” Matthew 7:11

“Even if You don’t,
my hope is You alone.”

Here are some lessons God has taught me along the way about His goodness, purpose & trusting Him with the unknown:

Taking your eyes off of others — your journey is not theirs. Your family, life circumstances, and future is unique and unlike any other — God designed it that way with a purpose; it is not an accident! So do not be discouraged when others seem to be getting what you desire. Embrace the journey God has designed specifically for you and rejoice in it—rejoice that your Heavenly Father writes no two stories the same!
Fix Your eyes on Jesus and set your mind on His heavenly purpose. “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:7-9) I know that it doesn’t seem like it in the moment: when you’re alone, faced with a devastating diagnosis, buried under piles of work and a busy schedule, trying to reconcile the loss of a loved one while learning how to live again…I am reminded of Job’s words: “the Lord has given and the Lord has taken away” there will be times in life when those words feel harder to speak than ever; but through God’s grace and strength it is possible to face whatever is attempting to crush you and worship Him in the midst of the storm. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 says: “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, yet our inner self is being renewed day by day. For our light and temporary affliction is producing for us an eternal glory that far outweighs our troubles. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal”
Cherish the season you are currently in. We tend to glamorize and daydream about every season in life except the one we are currently in. We think “how much better it will be” and set unattainable expectations; but the truth is that there are difficult parts in every season and where you are right now is full of purpose: it is necessary and preparing you for what God has for you to walk through next. Do not wish every season of life away — rather be grateful: assured that God is teaching you lessons right now that you couldn’t learn any other way. “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

I pray, no matter where you are in life, that you would be able to embrace God’s plan and purpose for you—it’s not easy but He is trustworthy and you can rest assured that He is who He says He is. I pray you would be able to rejoice, celebrate and cherish Jesus and His words—that you would surrender your plans to Him. He is good and faithful to do exceedingly more than you could ever hope, imagine, or dream for yourself.

Psalm 84:11 —
“The LORD gives grace and glory;
No good thing does He withhold
from those who walk uprightly.”

Deuteronomy 10:20-21 —
“Fear the Lord your God and serve Him
Hold fast to Him.
He is your praise.”

Deuteronomy 26:11 —
“REJOICE in all the good things
the Lord your God has given to you.”

“…as those who have no hope.”

“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.” 1 These 4:13

On earth, grief, sorrow, & tribulation are guaranteed and certain. Sometimes the grief can be overwhelming and suffocating. It can feel hopeless and endless. In light of that, these words have been echoing in my heart…

our hope is not anchored in the absence of pain but rather
in the promise of His presence amidst the pain.

The sorrow I have experienced is only a drop in the ocean of the suffering that is all around, but I know God is growing me for what He has prepared for my future. This season is necessary & nothing is wasted or without purpose. Not a single thing you or I walk through is insignificant & not a single tear is useless.

Much of the teaching we hear is rooted in the hope of our own desire being accomplished. We hope in ourselves or in a better outcome because God is powerful enough to change our circumstance. But is that His will? Our personal success? Recognition? Deliverance? Comfort? I don’t believe so. The end Jesus seeks is that we enter into a deeper knowledge, intimacy, and love for Him. When deliverance doesn’t come how you expected you will learn to seek Him. When I’ve been left disappointed in the past, the root cause is because my hope was in something not made to hold the weight of my expectation, something temporary, that was bound to fail, & my eyes were not on Jesus. Jesus: who doesn’t change; yesterday, today, forever. He is the same. Only He Himself can fulfill every hope and expectation that He made my heart for.

Do not let anyone tell you that the absence or presence of grief dictates God’s goodness. When we equate God’s goodness to receiving a desired outcome we begin to believe His goodness has stopped until we get what we expected. No matter what is causing your heart to grieve, do not be mistaken that He is far, unattached or negligent of your suffering. It is ok to grieve, it does not need to all make sense, your life doesn’t have to be picture perfect, and it’s ok to admit that it is HARD. But don’t let your heart forget: we do not grieve as those who have no hope ♥️ He grieves with you and His heart breaks with yours. He is oh so near & that is Christmas: God with us, the long expected One, Hope fulfilled, Jesus near, Him humbling Himself to step into our sorrow. He is here.

No matter what I walk through, He is my deliverance and all He does is rooted in His goodness, even if it’s not what I expect.

“Oh taste and see that the Lord is good!” -Psalm 34:8

“I want to be brave enough to hold out the hope of the gospel to a world that is hurting, alone and afraid. Not a hope rooted in the absence of pain, heartache or suffering. Not optimism that looks for the best-case scenario or happy ending. A true hope that rises from the full assurance that our Savior is here.” -Katie Davis

Stories

“looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.”
Hebrews 12:2

We each have a story. We could fill pages with the lessons we have (and have not) learned and as time passes our chapters may be filled with more heartbreak, unexpected cliff hangers or endings than we ever could’ve predicted.

For me, there was a way I expected my life to go, a general “order” of events, but deep down I knew that I shouldn’t have any expectations because I would be setting myself up for disappointment. Subconsciously though, I had a “plan” and projected my hopes and dreams into the future.

After graduating High School I remember my world feeling wide open, I felt like I didn’t have any clear direction and one by one Jesus showed me that I needed to let go of my expectations. I knew my life was in God’s hands and I needed Him to guide me, I couldn’t depend on my parents or my feelings —I had to walk in faith and trust God that no matter what lay ahead He was ordering my steps. (Prov. 16:9, Psalm 37:23) The verse and lyrics at the bottom of this post became my comfort and song.

Now I’m almost 23 and I look back at the time since I graduated High School and some seriously heart-breaking, disappointing things have happened. But God has never disappointed me. He has been with me and strengthened me in each changing season. As I sit here things have happened (and not happened) that a 16 year old me never would have never foreseen. Amazing, beautiful, once-in-a-lifetime things have also happened that I wouldn’t have thought to imagine for myself in my wildest dreams. And what leaves me in awe is that God did it. He knew (and still knows!) every desire in my heart and in His perfect timing He will fulfill them. I’ve learned that the deepest need and desire of my heart is Himself. When I place my expectation in Him my heart is at rest, free to trust and depend on my loving Father.

He knows your heart, the dreams your child-like heart dreams, and the hopes you have for the future. He knows. He’s a good Father and only gives good gifts to His children—He gave us Himself.

What word has been written into your story that you never would’ve chosen for yourself? Childless, single, jobless, homeless, lonely, displaced, betrayed, divorced, sick, bankrupt, orphaned, fatherless, hungry? …No matter where you are in your story, surrender it to Him. He is the Restorer and Redeemer of hearts. When your story is not going as you expected, remember that it’s not the end. There will be pages of loss, discomfort, suffering, heart-break, and grief—look to Him for strength, wisdom, and guidance in the trial. Stop worrying about what will come next, living in disappointment, or coveting someone else’s journey. Place your expectation in Jesus and watch as He works wonders in you-beyond anything you could ever think or imagine, His ways and thoughts are higher. In the end, when you look back, you’ll realize that even when you couldn’t see it His purpose, grace, and sovereignty was written on every page.

Trust His loving hand that wrote your story into the pages of time. Before you were ever a thought in any human’s mind — you were in His.

“Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.” – Psalm 27:14

All of my life, in every season
You are still God,
I have a reason to sing.
I have a reason to worship.
– “Desert Song” by Hillsong