Bloom Where You're Planted!

"The road is long, with many a winding turn
that leads us to who knows where,
who knows where..."
(He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother, the Hollies)

I have been wandering in the wilderness.  My incomplete, Americanized concept of faith and obedience has been repeatedly cast down and trampled.  Obedience begets blessing, right???  On 26 April I cried out to the Lord in my journal:

"Please forgive me...I seem to be so downcast.  I WANT to be grateful and joyful, but You know I am struggling mightily with sadness as persistent  as the winds of Orkney.  I KNOW all the right answers...but they are lodged in my head.  Why can't my heart embrace what I KNOW to be true?

You are good.
You are faithful.
You are sovereign.
Your plans are good.
You are always with me.
You will NEVER leave or forsake me.

Please allow me to ask some questions. 

Why am I here?
Have erred in moving to Orkney?
How can I survive having so few true relationships here?
Do you still have work for me to do?
Will I be separated from my children for the rest of my life?
Are You angry with me?
Have I somehow failed you?
WILL YOU PLEASE TOUCH ME?  SPEAK TO ME???

Father, I want to come forth as gold!  With Job I want to be able to say, 'Lord, my ears have heard of You, but now my eyes have seen!'  Romans 3:3 promises that my faithlessness does not nullify Your faithfulness.  I beg you for your mercy and comfort while I wait." 

How gracious is our God?  Within hours of my heart-felt prayer the Lord brought to my attention the following quote, posted by John and Lisa Bevere:

"The greater the call
the greater the preparation needed."

They posted a short, encouraging video about the 'wilderness' experience.  Here are the highlights:

'Wilderness' is a time of preparation.
It is NOT forever! (though it may feel that way)
It is God's way of building character.
He has NOT abandoned you.
There IS a purpose for it.
(Warning:  Stubborn ignorance may prolong the 'wilderness' experience)

For the first time in MONTHS my heart found rest, the sweet peace that defies understanding restored in an instant.  There is a PURPOSE for the  struggle.

Speaking of 'wilderness,' this morning I finished reading the book of Ruth.  It is such a bittersweet, familiar story.  It is the story of a grieving widow who has also lost her two sons, and her faithful daughter-in-law who refuses to abandon her: 

                             "Where you go I will go...
                      your people shall be my people,  
                              and your God my God..."

I appreciate Ruth afresh today.  She is a woman of the wilderness!  Imagine her plight. She is young, childless, and her husband is dead.  Her brother-in-law (her rightful kinsman-redeemer) is also dead, as is her father-in-law.  Her affectionate loyalty to Naomi leads her away from her homeland, away from her mother and father and everything else that is familiar. 

She is a stranger in a foreign land. It is harvest time and she must glean  in order to eat and provide for her mother-in-law.

We can only imagine her homesick heartache!  Thankfully, Boaz comes to the rescue, redeeming her and making her his bride.  The story has a happy ending after all!

That, however, is NOT the end of the story: 

                 This stranger from Moab, this sojourner
                    will become the mother of Obed, 
                             the grandmother of Jesse,
                  and great-grandmother to King David...
                           from whose line will come
             Jesus, the long awaited Messiah! 

The moral of the story?

Remember, God IS in control.
He sees the whole picture.
He is trustworthy!
Don't prolong the wandering through stubbornness.
Trust His plan,
and
BLOOM WHERE YOU ARE PLANTED!
(I thank God for the reminder of brave little posies 
blooming in the gravel of our drive :)