On 22 November 2010 I posted the following note on Facebook. I had no idea what a blog was exactly nor why I would ever create one. What I did know was that God was speaking to my heart and I wanted to share it. This is that post in its entirety. Years have now passed and I have seen God fulfill this in my life. At the time I wrote this I was barely able to believe this was possible - barely able to personalize this for myself. More than two years later not only do I know it's possible, but I rejoice in the work God has done, and I am learning to embrace who I am. I hope that this blesses whoever chooses to read it.
So last night God gave me this scripture in Isaiah - 55:13 - "Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow. Where nettles grew, myrtles will sprout up. These events will bring great honor to the Lord’s name; they will be an everlasting sign of his power and love."
There are a lot of plants in this one verse. So since Jesus doesn't add detail that is meaningless, I hit the Google search engine this morning to learn more about the mentioned items. Here is what I found:
Thorns - Well, nothing new Googling here. Thorns are pointy things that grow on trees and bushes. They help deter predators and they hurt like a booger if you run into them. The Bible uses thorns as a metaphor for people who will give you grief (see the Old Testament where God is telling the Israelites to drive out the people in the land or they'll be thorns in their sides). How many times have I been a thorn? How many times have I used my thorns to keep people away from me? As a way to self protect?
Thorns are contrasted with Cypress trees...
Cypress trees - Cypress trees are pretty sturdy things. They can be very drought tolerant. They are evergreens (the African cypress) and easily resists decay. It's also aromatic. One of the things I thought was way cool is that, according to Wikipedia, the cones containing the seeds don't open until they are scorched by fire. Huh. Sound like any other descriptions of things in the Bible? Like maybe fiery trials? How often has God used a fiery trial of some sort to get me to open up and, from that, He uses it to plant His seeds in me and around me?
Then there are nettles. Did you know that they are toxic? They are pretty, flowering plants, but utterly toxic. They've been known to kill animals and even a human or two. Some cultures have used them in weird folk concoctions, but anything that can kill a horse is something I'd rather not tangle with, thank you very much. They also have stinging leaves - little hairs with the chemicals on them. Imagine running into them. If this scripture can be applied to my life - how often have I been toxic? How often has a run in with me been devastating to someone else? How often has a run in with me been devastating to me?
Nettles are contrasted with myrtles...
I think this was the one that spoke the most powerfully to me. Myrtles are also really hearty. Not only can they be small bush-like things, but they can grow into pretty sizable trees (up to 5 meters). They are beautiful. I'm actually familiar with the Crepe Myrtle (same family as the ones in Israel) - which are all over NC. Those trees are gorgeous when they flower. And they are also ridiculously hearty. When I lived in my apartment each year during pruning season the landscapers would come and darn near chop down the trees outside my second-story bedroom window. The poor things looked pathetic and barren. It never failed, though, that by mid summer they were again as tall as the second-story window and had the most beautiful fiery pink flowers on them. They were struck down but not destroyed. Does that sound anything you might have read in the Bible? (See 2 Corinthians 4:9).
Okay, so what's the point? The point is that this is something God will absolutely do in and through us. In and through me. He can take all the rough, toxic parts of us and make us strong, resistant to the crap this world throws at us, and beautiful. How many women who are reading this need to know that God can AND WILL make them beautiful? In fact, if 2 Corinthians 5:17 is true and this work is done and we are new creations, then WE ALREADY ARE BEAUTIFUL. WE ALREADY ARE STRONG. WE ALREADY ARE ABLE TO WITHSTAND THE CRAP OF THIS WORLD.
I know, maybe better than some, how hard this is to believe for yourself. But in Ephesians 3:19-20 says, "May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think." (NLT, emphasis added)
I can't do this in myself. I just can't. I can't even imagine what God might wish to accomplish in my life. But He can and He is. I've been told recently that I'm not big enough to wreck God's plans for my life. In Isaiah 55, right before verse 13, He talks about how He wants us to come to Him - those who are thirsty and burdened. He says that His word never returns void, that it ALWAYS accomplishes the purpose He has for it. If He came to set us free (which He says frequently in His word), then we can bank on the fact that He will accomplish this in us.
I don't know about you, but I want people to look at my life and think, "I can't believe God did that in her. Wow, He's powerful. I want to meet that Guy." So all I have to say is - BRING IT, JESUS. Let's do this thing.
