If It Could Happen For This Tomato, Why Not Us?

 It didn't look like much at first, just a little tomato plant supported by a chopstick! I wasn't even sure whether to plant it because I'd had dismal results trying to grow one two years ago. The pot kept tipping over, and when the tomatoes began to grow they developed a blight and rotted. Sigh.

So I researched this time, and this is what I learned: apparently you can either use stakes or cages to support tomatoes, or let them sprawl if there is room. Caging helps the whole plant hold itself up, while staking helps keep individual tomatoes off the ground while they grow. Left to itself the tomato can still grow fruit, but may face more challenges touching the ground such as insects or wet soil.

Suddenly I thought "Can you imagine being able to make so much happen, or having an idea so huge that you couldn't easily support it alone?" Sure, I have participated on teams and group projects before, but I never thought about anything large originating from me.
However, if God grows tomatoes from a scrawny plant like the one shown, imagine what he plans for each of us? Or maybe we'd rather be the stakes or supports for someone else's big idea. Either way, the fact remains that great things can grow from small beginnings, when given the right support.

Tomatoes are coming!

" I will look on you with favour and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you." Leviticus 26:9

Postscript: When we finally harvested, this single plant produced over 70 tomatoes! Amazing :)

Life's Seasons Not As Expected

I always thought seasons in life corresponded with our physical growth: spring as youth, summer as adulthood, autumn as middle age, and winter as old age - complete with white hair like snow. This resulted in a somewhat bleak image of old age, and also concerned me because I 
was not prospering when I thought I should be.

However I recently read a description* of the seasons that began with winter, a time when roots spread below the surface in preparation for the future. The author pointed out that there is no harvest during winter. The hard work of planting begins in spring, then summer is characterized by lots of growth and attention, but with minimal harvest. Finally, in autumn there is plenty of harvest achieved with less effort.

I'm not sure our physical environment need be inhospitable for us to experience "winter" in our lives. It can be a time when, try as we might, nothing grows. Or when our enthusiasm or energy are weak. When we are dependant for our provision. The lack of visible results can cause self doubt, and blame from others may cause embarrassment.

Take heart if you find yourself in a period of winter. Spring comes, but like other seasons cannot be forced. In the meantime, it helps to accept that winter happens. Growth beneath the surface prepares us for spring, while kindness comforts those whose lives seem on hold. 
Job 5:26 NIV says "You will come to the grave in full vigour, like sheaves gathered in season." Although death may seem imminent during winter, the person in this scripture lived through it and went on to feel vigorous and reap a harvest before they died. So we have scriptural support that winter can indeed be the beginning of a spiritual journey, and our best days could lie ahead.

* p. 115-116, "Be Yourself, Discover the Life You Were Meant to Live", by John Mason, Baker Publishing Group, 2011.

Why Are There So Many Singers?

It seems odd to me that so many people can sing. And many others are able to play music, paint, dance, write, or act - yet there are so few jobs that engage these talents.  I've heard that only 2% of those capable of singing get to work professionally in this field. How puzzling that so many people would be equipped with talents that seemingly are not needed.  
And yet, our spiritual commission is to carry the gospel throughout the world. I can't help but wonder if the pleasure the arts provide was so people would carry and hear the message with great enjoyment.

Mark 16:15 NIV  He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation."

Serious Fun

Dressed in businesslike black, my camera has many symbols in addition to the "Auto" one in green, for the curious to research and the artist to explore. And both would be pleased, the technical mind for the camera's precision and specs, and the creative mind for the excellent results achieved from those same features. 
Sometimes fun comes in lighthearted and silly ways, but I enjoy my camera though it is serious and complex. Likewise, a serious-minded person can bring enjoyment to others by their dedication to careful, precise work. And, unlike the camera, this work also deepens their personal satisfaction.

^{Titus 2:7-8 NIV  7} In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness ⁸ and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.

Sidelined

One of my biggest worries is that I will die before I ever really make a contribution. I have had jobs and businesses, but never really "connected" in a long term way. Sometimes the work benefits others, but I feel unfulfilled. Or it pleases me, but I fail to successfully enter the marketplace.

I wonder how many introverted people play or sing beautiful music in private, that no one else ever hears. I taught my dog around 20 tricks and she deserves a spotlight, but her master avoids it. And I was once at a memorial service where a collection of lovely, small paintings were stacked on the edge of a table for us to look through, piled like napkins instead of framed and appreciated for the quality they were.

Similarly, many of my introverted friends are intelligent, but unemployed. Instead of being welcomed into decision-making positions and lauded for their thoughtfulness, they worry about their futures, struggle to get interviews, and take positions beneath their abilities. They are looked down upon by people to whom 'success' comes more easily. They are misunderstood, judged, and set aside.

Yes, there are famous introverted people. In every group there are exceptions, but we are generally disdained for our quiet, thoughtful, careful ways.

And worst of all we blame ourselves. Even those who write about traits related to introversion often tell how to 'cope' instead of thrive and celebrate. The gist seems to be "stop apologizing", which is helpful but still short of "start living". And I don't know the answer either, but I guess awareness and acceptance precede action.

The stress takes its toll on my health and my confidence. "Who do you think you are?" sounds off as soon as I square my shoulders. I guess it doesn't matter who we all think we are, for a generation may come and go without knowing the difference we could have made if everyone were appreciated and engaged in suitable roles. The lacklustre performance I have made in talkative, selling jobs will be mirrored in the under performance of extroverted people making quick, confidant, and well-promoted decisions in corporations and churches that should be undertaken with more thought and vision.

While I discover I am not alone in my introversion, I also notice many of us are benched or sidelined, even when the game requires the exact qualities we have.

And, I am disappointed. I am designed to be a servant like everybody else and we deserve not just a chance, but also the respect and excitement about our abilities that others receive. And true, not everyone else receives it either, but at least they are in the game.

Living in the "Later"

One of my personality traits is that I look ahead: I like to plan and look forward to things. In fact, I am happiest looking forward, and seem to forget recent events almost as soon as they happen. I remember them if reminded, but don't spend much time reflecting unless something is wrong that I want to figure out.

It's not that I don't enjoy the present, but the mental activity of planning is like solving a puzzle, or painting a picture. It involves a creativity that I enjoy.

Truth be told, it is often based on past experiences that I imagine future possibilities. But also it is based on scriptures and promises in the Bible of things I may not yet have experienced. One of my favorite books is Ecclesiastes because it contains so much information about what is worth planning for, and what ambitions lead to meaningless results.

^{Ecclesiastes 2:26} To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God.

I Am By Design

A study showed that people could be identified when they were just 4 months old as extroverts or introverts with a high degree of accuracy. This, and other research done with identical twins, suggests a genetic component to the development of temperament.*
At times, I lied to myself about about my own temperament. I thought people were essentially the same other than size and gender. I liked 'rugged' as a description, wore a leather coat and work boots. I sought active jobs that required little concentration, but I wore out and eventually gave them up. Choosing unsuitable jobs led to limited success! I despised myself and envied others. 
Now, I believe differently. According to Romans 9:20-21 NIV ^{20 "}But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’” ²¹ Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?" So I must learn to accept myself and choose suitable work. For God is kind to us, “God is mighty, but does not despise men; he is mighty, and firm in his purpose." (Job 36:5).

* from "Quiet", Susan Cain, Crown Publishers, 2012, pg. 99-100, 104-105.

Freedom 55 ( or 45...35...25)

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (Matthew 6:33 NIV). The things referred to are those needed for your life and your body, such as food, water, and clothing. Many pursue and worry about these things, and I confess to having little faith about provision at times. It was unclear to me how physical needs could be met if I turned my attention elsewhere. 
Then, I considered my garden. I choose seedlings, plant them with fertilizer and water, then wait. Apart from my efforts the sun, soil, rain and air help them grow. The grass and trees in my yard were even planted before me by someone else. Likewise, in response to our small efforts, the Lord can abundantly provide growth and harvest in our life to provide for us.

Work It!

Years ago a friend told me a priority guideline was: self, family (those under your roof), work, other people, other activities - and I struggled for a long time on the work area. What I defined as work was that which requires effort, or earns money. I identified my strengths and interests to seek a good way to earn a living. I also learned that relationships are key on every level, especially our relationship with God.  But work success eluded me.
What if work, as God defines it, is broader than work as I defined it? Jesus' disciples left their regular jobs to follow Him, and later again to spread the gospel. Paul earned his keep along the way, but his main priority was to carry the message. Learning and sharing about God, in whatever way we do it (singing, writing, speaking, acting, etc.) may be the 'work' focus the Lord ultimately wants for us.


*All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth. (Colossians 1:6 b)

Pets: To Be, or Not To Be

I enjoy taming animals and owning pets, but news articles and remarks led me to question whether animals should be tamed, or left wild. To some "the 'real' or 'natural' animal to them is the wild one, and the tame animal is an artificial or unnatural thing."* Proverbs 12:10 (NIV) says "the righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel." This explains why animal ownership, per se, does not always lead to good results. In the best cases, however, it can be speculated that the taming and training of animals to be in relationship to humans is as proper - in a similar way -  as the teaching of people to be in right relationship with God. In this sense, "the tame animal is therefore, in the deepest sense, the only 'natural' animal - the only one we see occupying the place it was made to occupy,..."*

*"The Problem of Pain" in The Complete C.S. Lewis Signature Classics, pg. 636

All We Need

Self-sufficiency is an illusion. Whether you earn lots of money, or live in poverty, this still holds true. "The creature's illusion of self-sufficiency must, for the creature's sake, be shattered; and by trouble or fear of trouble on earth, by crude fear of the eternal flames, God shatters it 'unmindful of His glory's diminution''' [ie. when we then come to Him as a last resort]*. In all our work we are at best like the physicians who cannot heal, only make the conditions optimal for healing; or farmers who cannot make things grow, only sow seeds into fertile soil and make conditions optimal for growth to happen. In all things there is an element of provision needed for which we are dependant on our Creator. Job 8:5-7 (NIV) says:
⁵ But if you will seek God earnestly
   and plead with the Almighty,
⁶ if you are pure and upright,

   even now he will rouse himself on your behalf
   and restore you to your prosperous state.
⁷ Your beginnings will seem humble,
   so prosperous will your future be.

* "The Problem of Pain" in The Complete CS Lewis Signature Classics, pg. 607

Steps In A New Direction

For a few years, we (my spouse and I) had in mind to open a franchise at a certain location. He came up with the idea and did some research about the cost, but since we did not have the money to invest the idea was put on hold. We waited, and to our surprise we recently discovered that someone else opened that exact franchise in that exact location! We were certainly disappointed it wasn't ours, although it did affirm that the idea had merit. As I debated the comfort phrase "everything happens for a reason" against the pragmatic "this was a lost opportunity", the debate was settled as I recalled Proverb 16:9 "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps."

An Ordinary Life Is Not That Common

An ordinary life sounds boring by today's standards. Comparisons to others can lead us to believe our lives are rather small. But what should we aspire to? Ecclesiastes 3 (NIV) says: "¹² I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. ¹³ That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God." Sounds pretty ordinary, but for those who live with depression, anger, food issues, water shortages, unemployment or unsatisfying work - it would be a nice gift to receive. An ordinary life is not that common, perhaps because it is received as a gift rather than an entitlement.