“Where are you?” – the question God asked Adam and Eve after they sinned in the Garden of Eden. It wasn’t a question about their physical location; it was a question for self-reflection towards their hearts.
Where are you today? How is your heart? What current season are you in?
A season of life is easy to identify when it is a high mountain top or a very low valley. But there are also periods of time that are hard to identify. Honestly, I don’t know how to answer the question.
Maybe God is silent in your life right now. Have you been waiting for an answered prayer? Waiting to see progress? Or maybe you’re just not sure what’s happening. It’s okay, me too.
After spending some time with God and exploring this question: “Where am I?” I felt God tell me that I was in a season of waiting. A season of growing. A time to be still.
3 things that happen during a season of waiting:
- Planting
Our lives are like a garden with seeds being planted. Some seeds are planted into good soil and grow fruit. Some seeds are stolen from us. Some seeds start to grow and are crushed by the world (The Parable of the Sower – Matthew 13). Both good and bad seeds can be planted into our hearts, and it’s important to protect our hearts by either fostering the healthy seeds to grow or dig up the bad seeds. In Matthew 28, Jesus was raised from the dead, and the guards who witnessed it were bribed to lie about it. Unfortunately, it planted seeds of doubt. But Jesus, at the end of Matthew 28, still tells the disciples to go and tell the world about him (The Great Commission – Matthew 28). The seed of making disciples has been planted in our hearts!
- Watering
A plant needs water to grow, just like we need water to live. To grow and truly live in this season of waiting, we need Jesus – the only living water (John 4:10-14). The means letting go of things we grab onto for comfort. Truly trusting and relying on Jesus to guide our day (Proverbs 21:1). Giving Jesus permission to fill our needs and satisfy deep areas of our lives. Pray to him, and walk with him throughout this time of waiting.
- Growing
We live life on levels – Show up as you are and recognize when God is giving you a test. Many stories in the Bible are of people growing; David, John the Baptist, Jesus, the Israelites! They all had to wait in a season and allow time for growth – Just like a plant takes time to grow. It may feel difficult right now, but this is a very sweet time to walk with God. The walk of a Christian is a life of God pruning branches away in order to advance us. Pruning is a painful process, but it’s even more painful and costly to choose the other path of sin.
3 things to do during a season of waiting:
In Matthew 25, Jesus tells us two parables and one final judgment. Each part works together to give us a full picture of what the Kingdom of Heaven is like. These three parts show us an attitude and posture of how we should walk and live today.
- Be responsible for my own Spiritual condition – (Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids)
When the groom arrives, five of the bridesmaids were prepared with oil, and five bridesmaids ran out of oil. It’s a strange story – What does that mean? It means that the oil is our spiritual condition/our relationship with God, Jesus, and our Holy Spirit. Five of the brides were prepared when Jesus (the groom) arrived and joined him! But five of them tried to purchase their spiritual condition from others, and Jesus did not know them. This is a reminder that we’re responsible for our own spiritual condition. In every season of our life, and while we wait, we cannot borrow or purchase something we’re responsible for ourselves. We must love God 1:1 and have our own relationship with him. Is your love story with Jesus based on someone else’s love for God?
- Be responsible for stewarding the resources God has given me – (Parable of the Three Servants)
In this parable, Jesus is teaching that each of us has been given resources to the level that we can manage. This isn’t only monetary resources, but it also includes our time, gifts, love, etc. We’re responsible for stewarding and growing these resources. It’s not about how much we have but what we do with what we’re given. The servant who was given only one bag of silver was lazy and scared. The servants who grew what was given to them were told, “You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities!” (v23). What resources are you hiding for selfish motives? “Those who do nothing, even with what little they have, will be taken away.” (v29). Like the fig tree that Jesus cursed (Matthew 21:18-22), being full of leaves but growing no fruit is wicked.
- Responsible for serving others in need – The Final Judgment
Heaven was prepared for us to be joint with our Creator God (v34). At the final judgment, we will watch Jesus separate darkness and light. Today, while we walk this earth, we’re given the responsibility to care for people. Jesus will tell us, “When you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!” Serving others is not out of an obligation to check a box, but it’s an internal prompting by our love of God to view everyone as if they were Jesus. Even if you’re on the phone with customer service and frustrated, view that individual as a human being who is created, loved, and seen by God.
I pray that you and I can wait well during this season. I pray that we view ourselves as a seed that’s been planted. That we can be watered by your presence, Jesus; we’re strengthened with endurance from you. And that we grow, living out the Kingdom here on earth. Remind us to take responsibility for our spiritual condition, always being ready for your coming, Jesus. I cast out fear and ask for boldness to invest into these gifts and resources you’ve trusted me with, God. And I ask that you show me people in need. Show me you, and how I can take my eyes off of myself and see others in need. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
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