My mother has become one of my greatest teachers, however if
you had suggested this seven years ago I would have laughed you out the room. See, my beloved grandmother recently transitioned, but the end of her life began seven and a half years ago after she suffered a debilitating brain aneurysm, leaving her bedridden for the last seven years of her life. Surprisingly, of all
of her seven children and host of grandchildren, my mother volunteered to move to Arkansas (from California) to take care of her. I
may share more of this miraculous story in another post, but know that my mother was the most unlikely choice. Nevertheless, I simply wanted to share this to put my previous statement into context. Meaning, at the time of my grandmother’s
illness my mother and I weren’t on speaking terms, but today she stands as one
of my best friends and greatest teachers. The horrid experience of my grandmother’s
illness resulted in a relationship with my mother that I would not have
imagined.
Ok! Mentioning my mother was only to preface what I originally wanted to share with you but I feel this post beginning to change, so I’ll “go with the flow”
and continue sharing one of the greatest lessons I've learned surrounding my mother because I sense someone reading needs to hear it (check back tomorrow
and I’ll continue with more tips and techniques).
In the Bible’s book
of Mark, fourth chapter (verses 26-29), Jesus explains the “Kingdom of God”
using imagery of a farmer, saying:
He also said, “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed
on the ground, 27 and would
sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not
know how. 28 The earth
produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the
head. 29 But when the
grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has
come.”
Here, Jesus explains the operational strategy of his kingdom
and likens it to the process of seed maturation. This paradigm or archetype is
seen time and again through the Bible. A seed is planted, time passes and ultimately a harvest is gathered.
The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus can be seen similarly. Jesus was a
seed, his death and burial is a time of planting and maturation and his
resurrection the ultimate harvest.
So it is in our lives. There are many things we encounter and endure
that we simply do not and cannot understand at the time. However, if we stay grounded and present, in the words of the old hymn, “we’ll understand it better
by and by!”
This is exactly what manifested in my relationship with my
mother, who had spent 20 years as an alcoholic and drug addict. In fact, one of the
reasons my grandmother and I were so terribly close was the bonding we
experienced over the distress of my mother’s addiction. Mother's addiction and out of control behavior wore on the minds and hearts of our family in ways that are, honestly, still being processed. So, at the point
of my grandmother’s illness I had simply given up on my mother’s recovery and
surrendered her to the Universe. But then something occurred, the trauma of my grandmother's sudden illness. Just as terrifying and heartbreaking the
crucifixion is presented to be in the biblical text, so was my grandmother’s sudden
illness and debilitation to me and my family. However, through the pain of the
crucifixion, came the joy of resurrection.
My grandmother’s health and ultimate life was a seed
planted. It certainly wouldn’t have
been my choice of seed (but knowing my grandmother and having heard the heart wrenching
prayers she often lifted for my mother, I believe she offered herself), but it seems that it
was only through that experience or “seed” that my mother can proudly claim the
harvest of sobriety today (for up to that point NOTHING had worked). Through the process of coming home to care for her ailing mother, day
and night, hand and foot for seven years, she was miraculously delivered
from crack cocaine and alcohol….and TOBACCO (which may have actually been her
hardest battle).
So, whatever you are
experiencing or have experienced in life, don’t become despondent or depressed
or weary, just consider it a seed sown. May I suggest that you offer it to God as a seed and trust
that in time you will reap a harvest beyond your own making or doing or even
conceiving. For this life is funny but it
ain’t no joke! Meaning, things often happen that we can't wrap our minds around at the time, but there is powerful seed potential in every difficulty if we will simply plant it and allow God to use it. So, while you may
not always understand, you must believe
that your hardships can and will produce a harvest of complete joy and love and
peace and fulfillment if you can only hold to the truth that….
This is not the end of your story. Your best days are not
behind you, they are ahead of you. Stand in faith and refuse to dwell in the pity of your past,
yet instead offer every hard time and hardship as a seed to God and then expect
your harvest of #bigthingscoming!
Standing in Faith!
~Ray
NOTE: If you’re new to the site it might be helpful to read
my first introductory post. Also, feel free to post your questions or comments
here and you can always reach out to me on Twitter @raycjordan using the hash
tag #bigthingscoming.
(Copyright,
2013, Ray Jordan)
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