For many weeks now the field that's connected to the track I walk around every morning has been closed. Likewise, every morning there's a man out there spraying the field and performing maintenance on it. I assumed it was closed for repair and that once the repairs were done it would reopen to resume normal activity. Well, when I drove up today I saw huge tents, carnival rides, games, a ferris wheel, a petting zoo, water slides, food trucks, a carousel, etc. To my surprise, the field wasn't closed simply to be REPAIRED from the normal activities hosted there. But, it was also being PREPARED to host something much greater! I didn't care who saw me as I lifted my hands and thanked God for the current closures and setbacks in my life. I realized more today how He's so loving that He'll only close your field to prepare you to host something greater than what took place in your life previously. Today, I yield to His correction and allow Him to perform maintenance on my life. I agree with Romans 8:18 ...what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory He will reveal in us later! I never thought I'd hear myself say this but when I saw what the man was preparing the ground for, my response to God was, "Treat me like DIRT!!!"
Every morning, I've been wondering why the heck the field has been closed for so long. Now that I've seen WHY, I look back over the past few weeks and I realize that I can learn a few things about faith from the field's response to the maintenance man...
1. The field just laid there.
Not once did I hear the field ask the man, "why am I still closed?" It simply trusted the maintenance man and let him continue to work. I never saw the man talking to the field or explain to it that he was preparing it for a carnival to be hosted there. Yet, the field continued to lay there without protest and allow the man to do whatever he wanted to do.
This seems a little facetious because a field doesn't have the ability to object or rebel against what is done to it. However, I feel it is more facetious for us (with limited intellect and power) to protest and rebel against what God (who is all-knowing and all-powerful) is trying to do in our lives. We could actually learn something from the field. We should just yield to His desire to work on us, repair us, and prepare us. Plus, we have the advantage of God's promise of greater things. We are not asked to submit with no hope of being made better. The only obstacle is whether or not we will believe the intent of our God to bless us with more than He asks us to give to Him.
2. The field wasn't worried about the people who normally played there.
In the afternoons, sometimes I take Quinn to that same park and let her play on the playground adjacent to the field. Usually, there are 4-6 soccer games running simultaneously on the field. Since it's closure, I haven't seen any activity there at all. They even removed all of the bleachers, benches, and even the goal posts and nets. Yet, not one time did I hear the field apologize to the disappointed children who could no longer frolic throughout the vastness of the now closed field. Neither did the field request for the maintenance worker to allow the games to revisit the grounds.
We must adopt this same attitude when we are certain that God is preparing us as a host for something greater in our lives. There is a strong temptation to long for and return to the familiar, but we must resist that inclination and remain still while God repairs and prepares us. The fact that repair is necessary is a clear indicator that the previous activities have created some damage. How foolish to resume the very same activities that left us in disrepair in the first place. I can imagine the kids that usually played on the field in the afternoons may have been a little upset that they could no longer do what they were accustomed to. No doubt, the people in our lives will respond the same way once they realize that they are no longer permitted to access our field, as God has closed it off for His purpose. There is no need to apologize or explain anything to them. Your silence is the only response needed once it has been made clear that you are being repaired.
Today, I ANTicipate pissing some people off once they realize their access to my field has been denied. To the contrary, I ANTicipate an acceleration in maintenance, preparation, and a grand-reopening, as I keep people from causing any further damage to my ground. Daddy (I'm talking to God), I submit my will to Yours and I make no apologies for what You choose to do in my life! Have Your way!
