Tuesday, March 1, 2016
VIDEO
Today’s guest is Anna Murdock, a lifetime member of Broad Street United Methodist Church in Statesville, NC., and a dear friend in Christ.
What follows is from Anna's pen and was posted on her blog, at PewPonderings.com on February 24, 2016, and is re-posted here with permission. When I read it I knew this is something every Christian should read...and heed. Enjoy!
“being
sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1).
The instructions were clear and exact
from the elderly gentleman who gave what looked to be a dead stick to my
mother. He asked a question that seemed
puzzling at first… “How big is your backyard?” Then he held out his hand and offered to her
the twig wrapped in a bit of newspaper. “Plant
it deep and water it often,” he said. Those
were his complete instructions for what he trusted would grow into a fig tree. I laughed at the thought of this precious gift
of a twig from his own fig tree being handed over to my mother (who is very
definitely not a gardener!) and to be honest with you, I shook my head at the
thoughts that it would ever show signs of life. But as my mother re-tells the story each
season and I listen once again, we both realize that there was no question in
the mind of the one who offered this gift to her. He had complete faith that this seemingly dead
twig would grow into a fine fig tree that would need a lot of backyard.
But there is more to the
story….more to the miracle of its survival and to the harvest of its fruit. The twig was offered at the onslaught of one
of the worst droughts that seemed to [hover] over the area. “Plant it deep and water it often.” It was difficult to be obedient to the
instructions of this gift-giver in the face of mandatory water restrictions. No watering lawns. No washing cars. Use water sparingly indoors. In light of all of the restrictions, my mother
still planted what looked to be just a dead twig. A bowl was kept in her sink that caught any
water that would have gone down the drain. She washed her hands over the bowl. She emptied the juice from cans of vegetables
into this bowl. Any saved liquid was
carried out to water this little twig. In
her obedience, she found many ways to water it often, as she was told to do. The twig began to show signs of life. Leaves sprouted. It grew taller. At the signs of its first fruits, my mother
rejoiced. Now look at the tree! Beautiful. Strong. Filled with fruit that will most certainly be
given to others.
There is truly much to be learned in
this fig tree and that is why I don’t mind listening to the story of the tree’s
beginnings once again. The words of the
gift-giver tell it all, don’t they? “How
big is your backyard” or perhaps better asked…”How big is your God?” This is a parable of faith… of “being sure of
what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1). It is a lesson of trusting the One who is completely
trustworthy and whose promises always accompany commands. It is a reminder that obedience to God often
includes times of testing… but obedience always produces great fruit.
For You Today
Think on these words of the
gift-giver. “How big is your backyard? (How big is your God?) Plant deep and water often.” May you see in this week, God’s great
certainties in what once seemed your very small possibilities. And may you be reminded that in your faith,
trust and obedience, you will most certainly see the promises of God come to
fruition. “Plant deep, water often…and
bear fruit!”
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