What A Houseplant Taught Me About Surrender
A couple years ago I bought a fiddle leaf fig from a local garden center. Excited about the prospects of this aesthetic addition to my home, I listened eagerly to the sales associate about how to care for my new plant. I also listened with the understanding that I would likely forget everything that was said, but if I did have questions later on I would just consult Dr. Google for answers. Not up to a year later, after repeatedly ignoring and occasionally tending to the signs of a very dehydrated fig, no amount of water could save this leafless, lifeless houseguest. I think about this situation when I read the parables that Jesus used as he emphasized the importance of not just hearing God’s Word but building one’s life on it (Matthew 7:24-27; Luke 8:4-15).*
For a while, my perspective on the parable of the farmer scattering the seed was quite limited: I must fall into one of these four categories. However, after much introspection on this passage during different seasons of my life, I realized that a more dynamic perspective rang true: all of me does not have to fall into only one category. My life is multidimensional. I am in the process of continuously surrendering every aspect of my life to God and submitting every aspect of my life to His authority. On my part, that doesn’t always happen all at once, nor does it always happen in the exact same way. When it comes to being a good coworker, my life may reflect the seed that fell on the footpath. It just takes one inflammatory email in my inbox to upset the rest of my day. When it comes to sacrificial giving, my life may reflect that of the seed that fell among the thorns. I could donate to a good cause but this J.Crew sale is just too good to pass up! I could give more of my to serving in my community but I’d rather veg out on my couch and watch another episode of The Office.
While I feel like my relationships are like the seeds that fell on good soil, I should remember that they won’t stay in good soil unless I continuously “hear [God’s word], cling to it, and patiently [allow it to] produce a huge harvest.” Am I adequately evaluating my relationships based on what God has to say about them? Are there times when I’ve said, “Ok, I’ll accept what the Bible says about my finances, but not what it says about this relationship I’m in?” Or, “I will accept God’s promises of peace and joy but remain disobedient to the things He calls me to do that will in turn bring peace and joy.” Maybe we don’t even realize that the Bible has a lot of valuable guidance on relationships, finances, and careers.
The first step in knowing what God has to say about those things is hearing from God primarily through prayer and reading the Bible. We can also seek godly counsel through pastors, sermons, books, and podcasts, and surround ourselves with godly counsel through fellowship and life groups. I encourage you to let God in to somewhere in your life you’ve never thought to let Him in before. I pray that He’ll grow deep roots and build firm foundations in your situation. After all, not every plant will grow after the rain.
In love and veritas,
Chioma
*“One day Jesus told a story in the form of a parable to a large crowd that had gathered from many towns to hear him: “A farmer went out to plant his seed. As he scattered it across his field, some seed fell on a footpath, where it was stepped on, and the birds ate it. Other seed fell among rocks. It began to grow, but the plant soon wilted and died for lack of moisture. Other seed fell among thorns that grew up with it and choked out the tender plants. Still other seed fell on fertile soil. This seed grew and produced a crop that was a hundred times as much as had been planted!” When he had said this, he called out, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” His disciples asked him what this parable meant. He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of God. But I use parables to teach the others so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled: ‘When they look, they won’t really see. When they hear, they won’t understand.’ “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is God’s word. The seeds that fell on the footpath represent those who hear the message, only to have the devil come and take it away from their hearts and prevent them from believing and being saved. The seeds on the rocky soil represent those who hear the message and receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they believe for a while, then they fall away when they face temptation. The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity. And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.”
Luke 8:4-15
“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”
Matthew 7:24-27