The High Road

My heart grows heavy when I see people deceive, cheat, and manipulate others to move themselves farther ahead in life or in a game.

The goodness of God radiated from two individuals who played the game of survivor, Matt and Mike. They helped others, loved, and competed with the utmost integrity and pure heart. Their words matched their actions and many counted them weak and ambushed them. They chose the high road and wrestled with fatigue, doubt, disappointment, hurt, and exile from their tribes. When they were down, they looked to God for strength and answers and left the end result up to Him.

Meanwhile, the rest of the players put their trust in Rob or each other only to be hurt, deceived, and cut away. Their focus was on imperfect humans. Their words were snide and cutting, arrogant, and venomous on occasion. The consistent theme was I, me, and my.

Rob won the money and title of survivor in the end. The title and money can never buy back the integrity, goodness, love, and friendships he lost. These can’t be won or purchased. They are earned from a pure heart.

I believe how we do the little things in our lives is how we do everything. Our actions reveal and reflect what’s in our heart. In my opinion there is never a reason to be mean, ever. The true test of a good person is to have the power to do bad and refuse.

 To anyone who doesn’t know a different life than one of self focus, I encourage you to examine where you are. If the imperfect you is all you have, can you ever be enough? What price have you paid, are currently paying, and will pay in the future? What good is it to gain the whole world and lose your soul for eternity?

Miracle Seed

I was eight years old when I had my first experience with planting a garden. My family moved to a farm house with a large area ready for a garden and my Dad couldn’t wait to get the seeds in the ground. One warm spring Saturday morning Dad stood at the barn door beside his collection of seeds, shovels, rakes, garden hoses, and sprinklers and said,  “It’s time to plant our miracle garden.”

“Why is it a miracle?” I watched him as he opened a packet of seeds.

“You see these seeds?” Dad held the dried seeds in his hand. “These seeds are dead. Once we plant them and care for them and the sun warms them, they will live again and take care of us.”

“How can that happen if they're dead?”

“It’s one of His miracles,” Dad pointed heavenward. “Just like when Jesus died and then came back to a new life and gave hope, strength, and provision for people’s futures.”

Dad was right. It is a miracle that God our creator sent his only son and our King Jesus to pay the ultimate price and die for our sins so that we can be made new. We are dead seeds walking around without Christ and we don’t even know it. Only until we are planted in his fertile soil by accepting Him do we receive a new life. Our new life is just the start. We need to be watered by His Spirit and warmed by the Son’s heat and fed by His word. As we begin to grow, grounded in Him, we have to fight to grow upward and break free from the crust of our past lives to reach the future the Son has prepared.

I had to break free from the crust of believing I was not loved or lovable, of calling myself stupid, ugly, fat, dumb, or feeling I wasn’t deserving of anything good to allow my inner self to reach the Son. Because of my human nature and the outer lures and deceptions that constantly pull and attack me, this process continues daily.  I have committed to use the Miracle Grow of God’s Word to help me develop deep roots to withstand the inner and outer attacks of Satan.  Satan doesn’t’ need to cut my leaves off to injure my faith; he only needs to wilt me through doubt and attempts to get under my skin by encouraging me to question my ability to be good, to think good, and believe I am loved by Him.

Look at the garden of your life. Do you need to transplant yourself into the fertile soil of His word? Do you need to weed? Do you need a constant Miracle Grow word each day? Tend your garden so you can produce good fruits that lead others to the Son light and love them along the way. This was Jesus’ example and sacrifice on the cross that led to the ultimate breakthrough of death’s crust.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17

What do you need to do in your garden today?