A few years ago, Dan preached a message at our Surrey campus. He said something I will never forget: “It’s easier to squash a seed, than it is to tear down a tree”. It’s easy to visualize. The tree is much bigger and stronger, and more established than the seed. And the seed, as light as ever, lays in the dirt, vulnerable to the wind and rain. There is something much deeper displayed here, and when this image is compared to our faith journeys, I think it ignites a deep sense of hope.
I don’t know everything about you, but I can certainly predict that life has not been easy. Dare I say, life has been quite the opposite of easy. Perhaps, you struggle with your mental health, or care for someone who does. Maybe you’ve been walking through deep sadness and grief. Maybe you’re not seeing promises come to pass, or prayers answered. You might be struggling with all-encompassing anxiety and fear, especially in such an unknown and scary world. Or maybe life is just not at all what you hoped and dreamed.
If you walk with Jesus, if He is your peace and comfort; your strength and shield, then you live in tension. The One who has no rival, has made his home in your heart, and yet your everyday is challenged and crushed by the enemy. You live with the promise and hope of Heaven, in a dying and broken world. You live in-between. And what a hard place to be.
Looking at scripture we know that the enemy comes “only to steal, kill and destroy” (John 10:10a). I think it’s important to acknowledge that the enemy only steals, kills and destroys, if it’s something worth stealing, killing and destroying. When you experience an attack, it is because you are a target worth the time and effort it takes to eradicate. It is because Satan knows exactly who you are: a beloved child of God. And he is relentless with his lies.
One must first know the truth in order to lie. The enemy knows the truth, and it scares him. He knows what the Bible says, he knows that God has no rival and no equal. He knows that we are sons and daughters of God most high. And he will stop at nothing to distract us from the truth. The enemy can never change what the truth is, all he can do is distract us from it. Knowing this, we can cling to hope whenever we are met with his lies, because they will not hold up against the truth that prevails.
I say all this because, over the course of 3 years, I’ve experienced what feels like a lifetime of sorrow and suffering. I’ve felt as though every part of me has been ripped to the bone. I’ve felt abandoned in a barren land. I have felt utterly hopeless. Every source of comfort was stripped away from me. I have undergone so much pain that I can’t ignore it. Every step, choice, word or thought I have is laced with grief and sorrow. My everyday life is a life of tension. It’s a life where I feel like a mere seed. No roots, in a barren, dry land.
In my seed season, the enemy's lies are so loud I can barely think. And yet I feel inexplicable peace, because I know that I am God’s beloved. Nothing, not one thing, that God has sewn into the very depths of my soul can be stolen from me. Sure, the enemy can come at me with his lies, but his words all end in vain.
It’s a battle- the enemy has to come at full strength to combat with our God, and that is still not enough. In the chaos of lies, distractions, and heartbreak we face everyday, it’s easy to forget that our enemy has a very clear capacity and limit: our God has NO RIVAL. Sure, Satan is stronger than us, but he is not stronger than the One who lives in us.
When I first heard Dan preach that message. I reflected on it for a while. I brought it to God. And I got a picture (bear with me because it’s kind of a funny picture): I saw a seed being stomped on by a heavy boot, and then I saw a tree. A strong and tall tree. So tall I couldn’t even see the top of it. I saw that same boot again, this time there was a leg reaching for the top, trying to stomp it down. Yet, in comparison to the tree, the boot looked like a tiny seed.
You see, on our own, we are mere seeds; vulnerable and weak–easily crushed. But, with God and His grace, we are tall and strong trees that can not be torn down. We’ve got our roots in a solid foundation.
Take a moment today, wherever you’re at, to meditate on this scripture from Ephesians:
“Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” (Ephesians 3:17-19)
About The Contributor:
Lillie is the Communications Director here at Relate. She also assists Pastor Kiersha with all things Children’s ministry. She has a heart for people and a passion to serve God’s Kingdom; it is one of her greatest joys to serve alongside the RKids Team on Sundays. In her spare time you can find her cooking, reading or working on her art.
