Reveal it and heal it

My dad was a farmer and grew up plowing fields that had never been cultivated. His first pass with the plow would turn up large rocks which he and his brothers would then haul away. The next step was to plow it AGAIN and AGAIN ! Every pass would turn up smaller rocks that he would then have to also haul away. The chore would be back breaking work but it had to be done.

I have experienced this in my own little garden here in East Tennessee, often asking myself, “WHERE ARE THESE ROCKS COMING FROM!” It seems at times that the first thing growing in my garden was ROCKS! This repetitive plowing is necessary though to prepare the ground for planting the life giving seeds. (This would be a great spot for the parable of the sower but I will restrain myself for now)

Gods work in our lives and our growing in His grace is a much similar process. We begin our walk with Christ and some “BIG SINS” are exposed. We confess those sins, repent, and accept His forgiveness. Sometimes we wish it would end there but, oh no, God loves us way to much than to leave a bunch of “small stones” in the garden of our lives for us to trip over! He knows that those “stones” would impede the growth of the precious seed He is planting within us.

As time goes by and we study God’s word, the Holy Spirit will bring other sins to the surface for removal just as my daddy’s plow did to those rocks in his field. I’ve never equated the Holy Spirit to a plow before but now it makes PERFECT sense! Jesus said in Luke 9:62, ” No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

The image which our Lord used was one that His hearers understood from personal experience. They were of the peasant class and they knew that the eye of the plowman, if he is to do his job well, must look straight before him at the line of the furrow which he is making. To look back, while plowing, would mar the work entirely. The man who looks back is therefore, disqualified for the work of God’s kingdom.

Small, seemingly unimportant offenses that we may tend to ignore are revealed through this cultivating of our hearts. Sins like complaining, pride, prejudice self-pity, and dishonesty are soon revealed as exactly what they are, sin ! Sin must be and WILL BE dealt with!

Just as David in Psalm 139 said, ” Search me oh Lord and know my heart,” our desire for God’s cleansing should match His desire to cleanse us. Sadly that is not usually our first request. I can tell you this though, unconfessed sin with hinder your relationship with the Father just as these rocks in the farmers field will hinder his efforts to cultivate the land.

In His time, God will reveal those sins to us so that they can be cast away. I am a firm believer in taking a fearless, personal, moral inventory of myself and try to promptly admit it when I am wrong. (I’m still working on that one)  Maybe it’s just stubborn pride or maybe I struggle at times with how amazing God’s grace truly is but I have found myself time and again asking God for forgiveness  over things that I know He has already dealt with.

I think sometimes that in order for me to truly learn anything, I must understand “WHY” I did those things in the first place. (I think maybe ” I THINK ” too much!) The first time I read the Apostle Paul’s statement in Romans 5:20 which states, “Where sin abounds, grace abounded much more,” I wasn’t understanding what he was saying regarding the law but thought “what a lame thing for a person to think it’s okay to sin just so God has more reason to show you His grace” I felt the sting of my sin and getting beyond the shame of said sin was difficult for me. God’s grace truly is enough.Another stone, gone!

This might sound strange but at times it seemed as if I was issuing God a challenge. Something like, “Okay God, remember when I did ***** (this)? What do you think about that?” God must have chuckled a few times over my immaturity but He has always been patient with me. I now understand what I was doing. I WAS LEARNING! I have now learned to work with God and not against Him.

I now am beginning to understand the depth of His Grace and Mercy toward me. He is removing every “little stone,” as I am able to let them go. The shame I felt over my sin is being removed and His truth is truly setting me free. Exposing the sin in my life, although painful, is beginning to heal my soul.

God is revealing my sin one little stone at a time. GOD REVEALS TO HEAL !!!