Shaken And Stirred
I taught on this subject a couple of years ago in a Women’s Conference, using the same example of wind and trees that Lisa Bevere shares in this article, and it was such a great example. I came across this short Blog of hers and I wanted to share it with my audience. It is one of the most powerful principles we can understand as believers.
Trials and hardships can be for our good if we lean into them and let them do the work God intends them to do. I hope you will take this and really study and meditate on it so that when your next storm hits you will know what to do!
Torey
“My fellow believers, when it seems as though you are facing nothing but difficulties see it as an invaluable opportunity to experience the greatest joy that you can! For you know that when your faith is tested it stirs up power within you to endure all things. And then as your endurance grows even stronger it will release perfection into every part of your being until there is nothing missing and nothing lacking” (James 1:2–4 TPT)
Outward pressure is always an opportunity to be inwardly transformed.
An experiment was done in the Arizona desert called Biosphere 2. The goal was to create perfect growing conditions for trees, fruits and vegetables, as well as humans. A huge glass dome was constructed to house an artificial, controlled environment with purified air and water, healthy soil, and filtered light.
For many months at a time, people lived in the bio-dome and everything seemed to be going well . . . with one exception. When the trees grew to a certain height, they would topple over. It baffled scientists until they realized they forgot to include the natural element of wind. Trees need wind to blow against them because it causes their root systems to grow deeper, which supports the tree, as it grows taller.
Who among us doesn’t long for a perfect growing environment for ourselves, with no disruptions from outside influences? Often, we attempt to create a controlled environment, striving to avoid any form of adversity or challenge. When confronted with hardship, the normal tendency is to find the quickest route of escape—choosing rather the path of least resistance. However, what if our trials and challenges were working for us rather than against us? With this consideration, listen to what the apostle Paul had to say on the matter:
“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Corinthians 4:17 NKJV).
If trees could talk, would we hear them complaining whenever the wind blew against them? When you carefully consider how a tree gracefully bends and sways when the wind blows against it, you will notice it does not stand rigid, resisting the flow of energy. It does not push back. The tree accepts the strong wind as a gift that helps it grow stronger while its roots dig deeper. If we allow the winds of adversity to work for us rather than against us, God can use the adversity to develop our character and deepen our spiritual roots. When our roots grow deep, we can remain standing.....
Lisa Bevere
Wow…such a powerful truth. We are all faced with storms and trials. There is no avoiding them. But…it’s what we DO with them that makes all of the difference. We can resist them and only end up frustrated or we can lean into them allowing their pressure to refine us and let God use them to teach us. We can learn so many valuable lessons in a trial if we would just stop fighting the process. Umm that’s called “surrender” by the way…your welcome.