The Pesky Thief
If you don’t know what to look out for, you might confuse a bouquet of weeds for pretty wildflowers. Similarly, there is a thief who is after our faith, and if we aren’t on the lookout, our faith might get stolen right from under our eyes. It almost happened to me. Let me tell you a story about abundant faith…
As a child, I was always captivated by the fields of wildflowers that I’d pass as my family would cruise down the highway. I was so confused when my dad wouldn’t let them get overgrown in our yard. It was because they were weeds and if left unattended, they would take over, destroy the soil, and prevent any of my precious other flowers, fruits, veggies, and herbs from thriving.
He doesn’t stop until faith is destroyed.
There is a rich spiritual practice lying in this. In life, we will always be faced with things that lead us to thrive under the giver of life or have our faith stolen by the thief. Opportunities can come parading as wildflowers when really they are nutrient-sucking weeds. You know the pesky thing about weeds? They don’t just steal the nutrients around them, they can kill all signs of health until the possibility of life is destroyed. This sounds like the pesky thief in John 10:10.
“A thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. But I have come so that they might have life and life abundantly.”
I am currently in a season where I’m pretty sure a pesky thief is sniffing around trying to steal my faith. I purchased a one-way ticket today symbolic of being in the middle of a huge transition in life. In the span of 6 months, I’ve had a hard transition from my full-time job, discovered I’m pregnant with baby number 2, worked with my husband to overhaul our marriage, had DTR convos with a handful of my friends, and am currently gathering moving boxes to move across the country.
Looking around, there’s a lot overgrown in the fields of my life. But as I’m digging around, I’m trying to assess if these are wildflowers sprouting or if I am deluded by the appearance of weeds. When it comes to our environment, the very birthplace of our faith, we have to ask the question: are there signs of life or signs of death?
The Giver of Life (and Faith)
The thief comes to bring death and destruction to our faith, but the giver, Jesus, comes to bring life and bring it abundantly. He comes to make our lives overflow with the fragrance of wildflowers! But we (and I’m speaking to myself here) have to become wise at detecting where life is spouting and where death is spreading. Because like those pesky weeds, it’s easy to confuse.
But here’s the thing, abundant life might be planted in a rocky environment but its flowers will inevitably look like peace, confidence, settledness, and an ability to weather any storm life throws at you. We need to know the giver of life because when we know Him, we can easily recognize the thief when those moments come.
Have you confused the thief with the giver of life?
In the midst of this transition, things that once brought me joy started feeling like a burden. Once pure and beautiful things got overtaken by weeds… slowly relationships turned political, ministry turned into duty, joy turned into fear and I was left questioning my identity, God’s love for me, and what he called me to do.
For me, disappointments piled on top of each other until they produced the tiny lie that God is not a giver of good gifts. That thought took root and grew and grew until I started to expect bad gifts from God, and then when bad things happened in my life, I automatically started attributing them to God, thinking “Of course, it’s His nature to bring crushing times to pound what needs to be pruned out of me.” Can’t you just smell the scent of death in that?
Signs of Life within Your Faith
Let me tell you… when we do not know the nature of Jesus, we will confuse the thief with Him. If you can relate to my story, if you find yourself in a similar season, look around for the signs of life. Where is God in your situation? What are the signs of his activity bearing beautiful blooms? Are you growing more in love with God? Are you getting comfortable with being weak? Are you stepping out in boldness? Are your hands open without fear?
Jesus turns the most barren wastelands into gardens. If the thief has come to steal your faith, and if you’re reading this blog, I have the sneaky suspicion he has… take heart in knowing that Jesus came to us to bring us life AND life ABUNDANT.
Take a Moment to Reflect:
But friends, we need discernment. We need to see clearly when our faith is on the chopping block, discerning where the weeds are so we can pull them out. We need to see where our very hands are tending to those weeds. We need to have the boldness to take inventory of ourselves and ask ‘Is this growing my faith in God or am I detecting signs of death?’
If there is a circumstance in your mind right now, take a moment and ask God… are there signs of death? And what does your invitation to abundant like look like for me, right now, in this very circumstance?
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