The Hard Work

An obstacle is anything which blocks one’s way or hinders progress. Giving up is common and easy when we come up against obstacles in life. Discouraged by the hard work we foresee, surrender is usually lost on drudgery.  There are countless obstacles in life, which foster empty places in the landscape of our lives; time and energy is in short supply.  We leave work undone because we’re tired, weak and unmotivated. Isn’t this true, at least some of the time; it’s true for me. Now that I have painted a bleak picture for you. Here’s some hope: What are the rocks in your life? Maybe God calls us to work at removing obstacles in life, like rocks in a garden, and he wants us to do it ourselves; allegorically speaking, maybe He wants us to fight against things that are buried in our hearts and past, which prevent growth and life from springing up. He doesn’t want us to give up or give in…at least not when it comes to the things on earth. He wants us to surrender, but not to the dirt in life, he wants us to surrender to Him, and the grace in his hand.

We need to give up trying to do God’s work. We cannot save ourselves, but we need to get down on our knees and do the tasks he gives to us and gave even to the first man in a perfect garden. God doesn’t save us from hard work and besetting obstacles in life, he saves us from the the sin nature, something we are incapable of overcoming, this we are helpless against, we need His grace when it comes to our souls, but we need his help when it comes to our flesh. I think we need to stop fighting the unmerited favor God offers; and stop wrestling with his mercy. Save our strength for the things we can do, while letting God do what only God can do,. Our task is digging up the rocks in our garden, his job is to make things grow.

We need to keep pushing through the tasks he has given us, even when, and especially when they involve obstacles, hindrances and snags that bore us. We are so human, we give up when it comes to big rocks in our garden,  letting the rocks determine our future; we then we fight the grace God offers freely to help us pull out the rocks. As Rich Mullins wrote so beautifully in one of his songs, “I’d rather fight you for what I don’t really want; than to take what you give that I need.” Don’t let the set backs in your life prevent your from making a beautiful garden. Don’t give up and surrender and let the work here on earth determine your days and mindset and steal your hope. Don’t give the best of yourself to the earth, fight against the dust and flesh and sin and dirt – give up and surrender to God’s grace, when God is appealing to you. That is the perfect time to say, “ok God, you can have me, I’m yours , I surrender have your way” , don’t say “have your way” to the world, say it to God!

So often in the midst of our struggle with obstacles, God is offering us help to overcome, he doesn’t do the work for us, he gives us what we need so we can do the work ourselves. This is why so many of us are lost and discouraged: we believe that God ought to be doing the work, that he has given to us to do. Jude says, “contend contend contend for the faith “I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people. “ he then says, in regards to this: “in a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion.” Do you see, they surrendered to sexual perversion, they gave up to sin and flesh, rather then to God’s grace. We must remember that his grace is sufficient, his strength is made perfect in our weakness. But he doesn’t do it for us, sometimes he does it with us. He lets there be rocks and obstacles that we need to dig up in our own lives. Our natural tendency is to fight the grace of God while gobbling up worldly lusts, these are rocks in our garden, obstacles in our paths, Dear ones, fight the flesh!  We are called to it right now. I believe and wonder simultaneously, if the very places in our lives where there are the biggest rocks are the very places God wants to plant the most beautiful gardens.

“This is probably why this spot has been barren for the past 20 years.” I reasoned, I can’t get that big rock out. I have planted all around it, but left this spot bone dry of color. I had become a slave of “I can’t” I likely attempted to plant something here before, but came up against this same stupid “rock” and gave up, oh just let the rock win.  I thought. No one cares. I was surrendering to the literal earth. I was letting that piece of dirt determine everything about the garden near my door.  

Can you relate to this? Do you ever walk away  from the hard things, rather then press in? Do you ever leave things in your life barren because of discouragement? Do you ever surrender your vision and hope for something beautiful because of a set back? You want to see it done, but you’re too tired, too weak and just don’t have it in you to keep going?

Are we still talking about a garden? Maybe your “rock” is that third helping of food, another Gin and Tonic, the X rated entertainment, the crass friends, the inappropriate relationship, stealing from work, for me-it’s pride. It’s the things we ought to be fighting and wrestling with to get out of the ground of our life, so something better can be planted, but instead of fighting against the “rock”, we give in and let it win, leave it there; too tired and discouraged to try again, and the landscape remains void of life , truth and full of obstacles and rocks that ironically prevent our ears and hearts from hearing God’s voice. . But here Is the hard part, literally the hard part, too often we enjoy the dirt. there I said it, and you know it’s true. Sometimes we just don’t care, we give in and give up because we want to. It’s the path of least resistance which is deceptively satisfying.

Okay, So here’s some good news: I decided to stay with it, the “rock” in my garden and surprisigly, it wasn’t that difficult. Rather quickly, with a little elbow grease,  I pulled out not a rock, but what looked like a rusty, hundred-year-old petrified gallon of paint.  which is an entire lesson in itself, what I thought was a rock, was a paint can. What we think is one thing in our life, is often something entirely different. It  left a big hole for me to easily plant my purple -flowering ,ice plant. I did so proudly. Man I’m glad I pressed through what I thought I couldn’t do. 

Do you understand what I am saying? is any of this resonating with you? I think God calls us to work at this life on earth; but receive His grace, which is His work.  These two truths can co-exist. It’s not one or the other,  this is the puzzle between works and grace, solved. He has left this world in the hands of mankind, he gave Adam dominion over it, it is our responsibility and job to tend to it. To do the hard tasks to clear the land of obstacles, it is his work to strengthen our hands and save our souls. God isn’t doing the things for us that he made us to do for ourselves, like control ourselves, discipline ourselves, dig out rocks from our garden, and fight against the flesh. His laws are there to guide us, he insists we obey- why? well because we can, that is our work on earth. He gives us help. he provides all we need for the things before us, behind us, around us and deeply buried within us. He gives us the do’s and do not’s and it is our tasks to comply, I didn’t take out that rock to save my soul, I took it out to plant something beautiful. We don’t fight the flesh and do the works to save ourselves , we do it to live better lives, to live beautiful lives.

To go deeper, and to spiritualize this experience, is it possible that I am that barren ground with the large rusty obstacle buried deep within me. You are that ground. Perhaps as we work to overcome the obstacles before us, The Lord our creator, is working to cleanse us and rid us of the things that serve no purpose and prevent us from life. Jesus comes along and digs up the rotting tin can and plants the seed of his word.

Another fact: I haven’t used a shovel since I started to work out at the gym. I surprised myself at how easy it was, with a little grit and commitment to get that ‘rock’ out, which in years prior was deemed “impossible” I envisioned something way bigger than what I pulled out, that fear of the largeness of that obstacle prevented me from planting something beautiful for twenty years, not the obstacle itself. I let fear control me. I became a slave to it. We are slaves to that which we are overcome by. What obstacles are you overcome by presently?

 How often do I come up against an obstacle and immediately quit, assuming it’s too hard or heavy, it’s bigger stronger braver than I am, I figure I will fail; rather than planting a flower, or a little life -I walk away from potential.  I leave a barren place in the landscape of my life, void of color and beauty because I think it’s going to be too hard, forgetting that God gives grace, strength, and help to those who love him and ask? Perhaps if I look about me, I can see places and spots in my life where there is nothing growing , nothing living, nothing going on, and I need to revisit it.

Time and growth can change outlooks. I am stronger than I was the last time I tried to plant something here. I am physically stronger, I need to use my new strength where it counts, this is true spiritually as well. I need to be willing to revisit  places in my heart that are void of life, and discover I can do harder things than I thought possible. Our faith increases over time, as we walk with God and get to know him we trust him for more.  

In the digging I discover that there are painful memories, wounds and regrets that need to get pulled out of my life, like a weed sucking the nutrients from what I want to grow, and there are things that have remained buried preventing me from making my life a beautiful garden. These hard things in life that I bury or don’t deal with, don’t disappear , they might not be in plain sight, but they prevent fruitfulness and God sees them. He knows what needs to come out. He directs our attention to it as well. Maybe it’s not an old paint can, but an old wound that someone left when they said something hurtful, or a painful failure, or a loss, a fear or insecurity. I have to dig those things up, cut through the dirt and grime and fear and pull it out. We have to bring to the surface old paint cans, rocks and pain that prevent us from planting other things like joy, love and hope. 

Do you see what I am saying? what is buried in the back yard of your heart, mind and soul preventing you from experiencing God in a new way? Dig it up, root it out, get rid of it. Ask God to help you, surrender to his grace but keep fighting. Roll up your sleeves do the brave thing, time makes you stronger, use your strength and replace the old things with new life. 

Sometimes we need to look at the areas in our lives which are barren. We need to revisit them with a sharp edge and a steady hand,  to dig out whatever it is in there and plant something new. it’s not always comfortable or easy but I promise you it is possible with God. He implores us to surrender to his Grace and contend with the world’s obstacles.