Tear drop seeds.

"Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him." Psalm 126:5-6

Hard to believe that summer is practically over. I knew that, for myself, once summer started and all the things that comes with it (camp, work, family, vacations, etc.) it would be over in the blink of an eye. And here we are, the farmers have been harvesting their fields for the last month and now when I look out over the prairies that I love so much, I see many of golden hay bales and tall stocks of corn that have yet to be harvested and turned into corn mazes. Most assuredly, fall has creeped up on us all.

This particular September(just a few days from now, in fact), I have the great honor and privilege of watching one of my greatest and dearest friends make the trip down the aisle to marry the man of her dreams. As one of the people who has watched this relationship evolve and develop at every step of the journey over the past year and a half, I am probably also one of the most excited people to see this marriage take place. Given all the times that I and this friend of mine have dreamed about this day, it's hard to believe that it is finally a reality!

But as with every relationship, theirs has had it's share of struggles and tears. Without getting into details and sharing a story that's not mine to share, I feel it's safe to say that the verse above very well describes my friend's situation during her time of uncertainty in her relationship. All the tears have turned into shouts of joy! (And knowing this particular guy that she is getting married to, there will more than likely be a few noisy, joyful outbursts!)

But what redeems painful, uncomfortable situations into one that turn into a season of joy? 

I have found that my tears are often selfish ones. Sometimes when I cry, it's out of a spirit that is questioning God's authority, sovereignty or divine wisdom. A mentor once asked the question of me, "When you face disappointment, are you comforting yourself on God's shoulder, or the devils?" While this may be an extreme comparison, I know it's been true for myself that my tears have been spiritual tantrums rather than a hurting child who goes to her father to cry in His arms. So, what's the difference?

The verses above specify a person who, though weeping, goes out with seeds for sowing. This hints to me that, even in our darkest and most painful moments, we can use the pain we are in productively, or uselessly, depending on our reaction to our circumstances.

If we use the example of my friend, her time of "going out weeping" was filled with waiting on and seeking after God. She did not give up on him, but instead, I believe that during that time, I saw her faith grow exponentially, as she relied on promises and strength found in Scripture. Even if her situation would have had an entirely different outcome and there was not a wedding happening this weekend, I know that she would be stronger, more godly and closer to Jesus than ever before because of how she used her testing time.

Her tears became "seeds" as she surrendered her pain to Jesus. And now the seeds she sowed during that time are turning to sheaves that she can carry back home with great joy!

However, our tears cannot become useful seeds unless we are giving our pain to Jesus, unless we are looking for every opportunity to allow Him to meet with us and speak to us and show us how to make the most of uncomfortable times. If He is not allowed to direct our pain and hurt and disappointment, the tears we cry will fall on dry, infertile ground and fail to produce a crop of joy.

Life is hard. I, for one, have more questions (most of the time) than answers. But I do know that Jesus has all the answers and He alone can turn my tears of pain into seeds that will grow into something that will bring glory to Him.

Exceptionally good wine.

Matthew 7:11 "If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!"

John 2:10 "...But you have kept the good wine until now!" 

I may not be an accomplished musician, but I love music.
On my iTunes, I have a playlist entitled, "Ultimate Favorites." Of course, over time, this playlist has grown and continues to grow. One that has been on this list for the past year or so is the song "Our God" by Chris Tomlin.

Oh, Mr. Tomlin, I am thankful that you allowed God to speak through when writing that song. I think it gives me shivers every time. What a powerful song about the greatness and goodness of God. Truely the theme song to my past year.

The song opens with this:

"Water You turned into wine
Open the eyes of the blind
There’s no one like You
None like You..."

The turning of the water to wine at the wedding at Cana was Jesus' earliest recorded miracle here on earth, found in the Gospel of John. In it, he attends a wedding with his mother and (horror of horrors in that day and culture) the wine has run low and is running out. Mary, knowing the Deity that her son actually is, states to him, "They have no wine." Though Jesus seems to tell her that it is not time for him to preform a miracle, Mary tells the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." I think this is a hint that Jesus was being told, not asked, yes? :)

Whether Mary was presumptuous in her "telling" or not, Jesus directs the servants to fill the huge stone jars (20-30 gallons each!) with water. After this is done, Jesus tells them to take a sample from the jars to the guy in charge. After tasting the wine, the "master of the feast" finds the groom and praises him: "Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good until now."

Why this story, you ask? Let me tell you.

Last time I read this story, it it me: God doesn't do a half-hearted job. When he does something, He does it exceptionally well!

Think about it. The whole point of serving the bad wine last was that people in their inebriated states wouldn't even be able to taste the difference between the good stuff and the sub-par wine. And yet, though Jesus could have just turned the water to run of the mill, locally made wine, he chose to make wine that made a good impression on the feast master. Why? What was the point.

I believe Jesus was setting the standard for His ministry. I believe He was trying to tell us something. I believe He was saying something about His love for people.

Firstly, Jesus was showing that He gives good gifts to his children. I can only imagine how many time I have asked Jesus to do something, and perhaps (if I even believed he would do it), I expected he would maybe do the bare minimum. This story would negate that. Jesus was asked and he did more than asked for or imagined (see previous blog.)

Secondly, and this is a truth that God just showed to me as I was writing this, is that God does good things for people even when they don`t acknowledge or know the good gift was from Him.

It says in John 2:9, "...the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew)..." I do not know if the fact ever registered with me that Jesus received no big recognition for this miracle. The only people who knew about this miracle were Mary, the servants and perhaps the disciples. Nobodies, really. None of the important wedding guests, not even the bride and groom. I think Jesus did this to show his power to a select group of people, but not select in the eyes of the world-- the normal, average joes, the servants who were at the bottom of household ranking.

Another thought to consider. Though Jesus turned the water into excellent wine, did the crowd even enjoy it? Or were they too "happy with wine" to notice something supernatural had just occurred?

Jesus gives good gifts. He reveals Himself to those who would not necessarily be at the top of the world's list of people to tell things to or preform things for. The humble.

Jesus, you do your job exceptionally well. You give gifts and blessings even while I am too wrapped up in myself to notice. If I ask for something, I shouldn't expect the very least from you, because you constantly and consistently do more than all I can ask for or imagine. You are good. Just like Chris Tomlin wrote in his song, "If our God is for us, who could ever stop us?" Thank you that you are for me.