But now that you know God - or rather are known by God - how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? - Galatians 4:9
When I found my house in Greenville, it was in the initial
stages of the building process. The lure
of new construction and picking my finishes was strong, and I ended up choosing
everything from the flooring to the fixtures.
It was a fun process. But the one
drawback of new construction is that you also get a brand new yard with new
grass seed. And, let me tell you,
cultivating new grass, especially in sandy soil Eastern North Carolina is no
easy task. To make matters worse, I
definitely don’t have a green thumb or a real interest in yard work. It is no shocker, therefore, that when I went
to sell my house four years later, the grass was seriously struggling. The lifeless grass didn't exactly help my
curb appeal, and it was the only fixable complaint from everyone who viewed my
house.
Luckily, my father-in-law stepped in, and he brought a
tractor and all the necessary supplies to fix my yard. Andy’s parents are awesome in general, but
especially when it comes to stuff like this, and the four of us worked all day
in that yard tilling the soil, throwing out grass seed, and covering it in
straw to help protect it and encourage growth.
In the weeks that followed, I watered it like crazy, the grass grew, and
the house sold.
When I was reading Galatians 4:8-20 this week, I thought
about preparing that soil for the grass seed and about a parable Jesus tells on
the same topic. In Matthew 13, Jesus
tells a parable about how people come to have faith and grow in it. He uses the analogy of seeds and soil, and he
describes all types of situations where a person’s faith never grows strong. Maybe their hearts aren’t ready for the
gospel or they fall on hard times and lose faith or they don’t cultivate deep
roots in the word and fall away. Only
seed that falls on fertile soil and develops deep roots is the seed that
produces plants. Jesus equates this seed
to people who hear and understand his word and then produce a harvest. When I was reading the passage in Galatians
it seemed like the Galatians were a group who received the gospel message with
great joy, but because they didn't develop strong roots in the truth of
scripture, they were being swayed to follow another path away from Paul’s
teaching.
It is easy to criticize the fact that they had returned to
the law and forgotten about grace, but think about how much work it takes to
create rich soil. Jesus’s parable is
such a good one. I vividly remember my
aching body and blistered hands after we worked to prepare my soil for
grass. I also remember having to adjust
my schedule to water it every night and adjust my budget for the cost of the
sprinkler running so long! Getting that
yard into sell worthy condition sure interrupted my life!
Our spiritual lives are the same way. We don’t just end up in a strong relationship
with Jesus. We don’t just happen to know
the truth well enough to spot lies. It
takes work and dedication and a commitment to growth. I’ve also found that, like yard work,
sometimes the work is enjoyable.
Sometimes the sun is shining, the birds are singing, life is good, and
our quiet times are easy. Meeting with
the Lord fits nicely into our schedules, we enjoy the time, and we are hearing
his voice and growing in our knowledge and love of him. But sometimes, the work is not so fun. The weather is bitterly cold, the sky is
overcast, and our backs are aching.
Sometimes, there are about a million and a half things on our to-do list
and life is hard and our faith is struggling and meeting with the Lord is the
last thing we want to do. Sometimes
growing the grass isn’t easy or fun.
But regardless of our mood, growing strong roots is always
necessary, and the Galatians are the perfect example for why. They were so easily confused. Paul had come and had shared the gospel of
freedom in Christ. They heard the good
news that Jesus made a way for them to have community with the Lord and that he
covered their sin. But then different
teachers came and confused them. They
heard other arguments, and they lost their way.
They thought they were still
following Christ, but they had gotten off track and didn’t even realize it.
The danger for us is as serious as it was for the
Galatians. As an example, a friend of
mine, who is also looking for a church in a new city, shared a story about
something a pastor said from the pulpit of a church she visited that is
absolutely contrary to God’s word. I
have been researching church doctrines like crazy lately, and I also happen to
know that what he said is contrary to the beliefs held by his denomination. My friend spends regular time in the word,
and she knows it well, so she immediately spotted his lie. But others may not have noticed it. So many people trust pastors to share truth,
but we have to remember that they are human just like everyone else. They make mistakes, and it is our responsibility
to be sure we are hearing truth.
Additionally, it is our responsibility to make sure our
thoughts are based in truth. Sometimes,
it is easier to spot lies shared with us by others than it is to spot the lies
we share with ourselves (or allow Satan to share with us). I spoke to a friend this week who reminded me
how easy it is for our thought life to become corrupted. For us to hear lies like, “God’s not
faithful,” “I am worthless,” “My marriage isn't worth fighting for,” “I can’t
forgive him.” How will we know if we are
hearing truth or lies if we aren't spending time growing our own roots? How will we know whether we are on the path
that leads to light or the one that leads to destruction?
It is a serious question.
But the good news is that all the work is not on our shoulders. I am a new mom, and I stay home with my
son. You’d think that quiet times would
be much easier now than when I was leaving for work at 6:45am and working 50+
hours a week. Somehow, they aren't. My child still doesn't sleep through the
night, and whenever I get a quiet moment, all I want to do is take a nap or do
some laundry or take a shower. You would
not believe how many times I have to force myself to sit down with my Bible and
spend a moment with the Lord. But here
is the good news. I have a helper in the
Holy Spirit, and there are SO MANY days that I look at my bed and then at my
Bible and pray, “Jesus, if you promise to give me energy to make it the rest of
the day, I’ll spend this time with you” or “Lord, I will sit down with my Bible,
but will you PLEASE make Daniel sleep an extra hour so I can sleep when I’m
done?” In full disclosure, Daniel doesn't
always sleep that extra hour, but I do always make it through the afternoon
until Andy comes home.
I don’t want to paint an unrealistic picture. Sometimes the time in the word doesn't feel refreshing. Sometimes I have to work to stay
focused. Sometimes I take a nap and don’t
do it at all. But I do know that the
continuous effort to grow closer to the Lord and the help of the Holy Spirit is
the way I walk a different path than the one the Galatians were following in
Galatians 4. And it is how I can know
truth from lies.
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