Disturbed Soil

Corrie ten Boom is one of my heroes - I love this remarkable woman! Her insights into the kingdom of God have encouraged and enhanced my walk with the Lord for years. This morning I read in Corrie's book, Each New Day, one such insight that I want to share with you. Corrie refers to the common practice of removing stones when preparing a field for planting. Most of us gardeners (and farmer wannabes) consider stones to be a hindrance to our crops, but Corrie shared that scientific experiments have found that removing these stones is, in fact, UNfavorable for crop production. As it turns out, many soils need these stones because they attract and keep moisture and because they radiate heat due to the absorption of the sun's rays. Hmmm...do you see where I'm going?

I'm the first to want to live a stress-free life - no difficulties, no sorrow, no pain, NO STONES. Sounds nice, doesn't it? But, isn't it true that our difficulties cause us, yes - require us - to cry out to Jesus?! He IS the living water that the soil of our hearts need. He IS the light in the darkness, the warmth in the brutal cold of our nights when our souls are chilled to the bone. Isn't that beautiful? Can you see the picture? Our struggles act as stones to draw Him to us. These hardships actually attract the lifestream and light of Christ. "I will NEVER leave you, nor forsake you," saith the Lord.

"Lord, thank You for this life lesson. Your Word is awesome, powerful and grants us much understanding. Help us not to resent the hard times but to see them as an opportunity to know you better and to produce more fruit for this starving world."