Beating the Odds

Some things flourish against all odds.

I was working outside this weekend with my hubby. We finally got some rain last week, but I noticed that the ground was still cracked and rock hard. While I was holding up a board, a bright green sprout caught my eye. He patiently waited while I snapped some photos. After twenty years of marriage, he’s used to dealing with the fact that I’m easily distracted when I’m outdoors.

I really can’t help myself. I tend to see God’s fingerprints everywhere in Creation.

On this particular day, the green sprout stood proudly, despite the hard, inhospitable ground, almost as if in defiance. It was like it decided to grow against all odds and was thriving. I couldn’t help, but to be impressed by its perseverance. I thought about the little sprout for the rest of the day.

I thought about how God’s economy is so very different from ours. If we want something to grow, we water it and tend to it. We pamper it and hope. We can put endless hours into something and it may flourish or it might not. While we love to believe that hard work always produces results; sometimes it does not.

We live in a society where we have been taught that self-reliance is something we should strive for. We should be able to do everything completely on our own, by the sweat of our own brow.

The Bible teaches a different dynamic. The Bible teaches us to acknowledge first and foremost that we rely on God for everything and that every good thing comes from Him. Yes, we are called to work hard, but we are also called to know that He has a plan and that it often differs from our own. Obedience and faith teach us to be okay with that.

The Bible also teaches us the importance of community. We are called to help each other and work together. There are some things we simply cannot do alone. There are times when we need other believers to hold us up and to stand in the gaps for us.

There are times, when against all odds, something beautiful flourishes when it seems next to impossible, when on paper, there was just no way. If we dig a little bit, we often will find that there was prayer behind the miracle and many times a group of prayer warriors.

In those instances, we are reminded that nothing is impossible with God. A little green sprout reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂