When winter leaves and spring arrives there is so much beauty to behold. The colors of spring I think are the most vibrant and enjoyable. God is truly showing His artwork, a canvas that only he can present to His beloved children. When His children slow down long enough to take notice of all that he has to show off we can see His beauty all throughout His creation, not through a stained glass window. We see it through the eyes of a very powerful God that we take for granted every day.
As His children we are important to God we are above all else on earth the one thing out of all that He did create, the most loved by Him. I think we sometimes on a day-to-day basis forget that. I know I have I often wonder how “He” the creator of all that my eyes behold can love something as tainted as me. Just when I think He cannot amaze me anymore He sends me a revelation that reminds me of how very much I am loved by Him. God like a gardener is cleaning the garden He created so very long ago. He is making what he lost beautiful again. We in our own selfish needs forget we are not the only ones who have lost something beautiful. God also lost what was important to Him thousands of years ago.
God has been on a mission ever since, He works non-stop 24/7, 365 days a year to rebuild what we destroyed. Sadly, His most beloved creation loves to get lost in our complaints on a day-to-day basis of so many things that are not right in our lives. It can be anything from the person that cut us off in traffic, our jobs, bosses, the kids, the economy, to not having enough money in our bank account the list goes on. Never once during the day did some of us thank Him for the boss because that means we have a job, the person that cut us off means we have a car to drive, and the money we do have in the bank account keeps the roof over our heads, the food on our table, most importantly the light we turned off before we went to bed it provided us sight to read His Word. We get so caught up in what we think we deserve, that we do not realize the only reason that we do deserve anything is because of the death of His Son just another reminder of what He has sacrificed for us. So as we become more and more unthankful God becomes more and more busy. The gardener is so very busy at work still pulling up the weeds and cutting off the dead branches. He is keeping (despite our complaints) His garden beautiful. Listen to the words of our Lord in these verses;
‘I Am the True Vine and My Father is the Vinedresser. Any branch in Me that does not bear fruit, or that stops bearing, He cuts off or takes it away; while every branch that does bear fruit, He cleanses and repeatedly prunes; trims clean so that it will bear more, richer and more excellent fruit. You are already clean and pruned because of the Word I have spoken to you; the teachings I have discussed with you. Remain to dwelling in Me and I will remain dwelling in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit without remaining attached to the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. I Am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in me and I in him, bears much (abundant) fruit. Apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain dwelling in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers. Such branches are gathered up, and thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain vitally united to Me and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. When you bear much fruit, My Father is glorified and you prove yourselves to be My disciples’ John 15:1 - 8
These are breathtaking scriptures and when you as His child grasp these scriptures you can become part of His garden. We can as long as we abide in Christ and obey the Word of God. We need to understand that even when things are not going our way or things are in such a bad state we have got to learn to praise him even in those moments too. Do not bow your head and sing praises to him when you think you have finally gotten your way or what you think you deserve. When you become that flower full of blinding colors, we will thank and praise the Lord when we are in the most unbearable pain, when we are at rock bottom, and we feel like there is no hope left. When we lift our hands to heaven and thank Him for that day no matter how bad it is. That is when all the weeds are gone and the dead branches are cut off.
This was my revelation years ago, in all my struggles, pain, despair, this was all for me every bit of it. Every tear I cried, every time my heart broke for those that had not changed, and every time it broke for all that I lost. God was pruning He was cutting off all that was not good in me. God showed me that no matter what this world does to me or what those did to me that was close to me at one point in my life. My Father made sure I was not going to be changed by the evil in this world. My heart was not hardened, my heart changed for the Kingdom of God, for His garden and His alone.
When everything around you turns grey, the snow keeps falling, and the bitter cold comes sifting in. Let the artwork shine that was painted on a canvas full of colors only God can paint. Let it shine so bright it blinds all that enter through His gate. Let the heart that beats for the living God stand strong in the midst of anything no matter the situation. Let the world see only the colors a heart for God can show and then and only then can we be the disciples we are called to be for our Lord Jesus Christ!
© Shannon Wendler