Fruitfulness from Surrender - Julie Thompson
God has used sunflowers to give me great
focus this summer. I have been
simultaneously comforted and challenged as God has used sunflower-sightings to prompt
thoughts of devotional writings by gracespring women. Be intentional. Be focused.
Resemble the Son.
This week I encountered a different kind of
sunflower. It wasn’t tall and
sunshiny. It didn’t resemble the
sun. It wasn’t focused on the sun. It didn’t draw my attention in the happy way
that sunflowers do. It certainly didn’t
seem to fit the sunflower theme!
But as I lifted the ‘flower’ to really inspect
it I saw the Miraculous. FRUIT was being
produced. The sunflower had kept its eye
on the Sun constantly until the time came for fruit to mature and come forth.
The ‘job’ of this sunflower was now simply to bow… to surrender… and let God
finish His work.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. – Galatians 5:22-23
Fruit production is a miraculous work of the
Holy Spirit. Only the Holy Spirit can
mature good fruit… fruit that will last. Certainly
the framework for fruit production is rooted in our relationship with the Lord…
focus, form, foundation. But Fruit
matures and is brought forth when we simply bow… like this sunflower… and
surrender OUR plans to the Holy Spirit’s Work.
As a wife, mother and friend, I tend toward
‘over-tending’ the fruit production process.
I mistakenly act as though fruit production were MY job. Quite the contrary; anxiety can be the ‘fruit’ of too much
tending (aka: hovering) and trusting my own design more than God’s design. Despair can often be the ‘fruit’ of little
faith… not trusting God’s hand or plan or provision.
August’s end will bring a time of ‘surrender’
for me as our Meg leaves for college. Eric has already relocated to North
Carolina. Nick and his new wife, Kylie,
moved to Grand Rapids. My challenge is
to remain firmly rooted & watered while surrendering to God’s changing design…
just as it was on the day Meg left for kindergarten!
Whatever August’s end brings for you, embrace
a surrendered September. Stay rooted in
the Lord. Be watered by His Word. Surrender to His Work (There are Jerusalem-walls
at church that still need shoring up).
Only then can we look EXPECTANTLY for the fruit that the Holy Spirit will
mature and bring forth!
In Him,
Julie
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. – Galatians 5:22-23
Julie, I don't know what September will bring but I needed this message now. Thanks Sherri
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