It’s Bigger than You

 

In our last home, we had a giant bay window that faced our backyard. My garden corner was located in the far right of the yard, while my husband had various fruit trees scattered throughout. There was a sitting area by the bay window where I often relaxed with a good read. From there, I could observe everything happening in the backyard and keep an eye on my garden.

Our biggest garden pests were squirrels. Once a squirrel discovered one of my husband's fruit trees, if we didn't move fast, it was only a matter of days before the entire tree would be stripped bare. We would watch from the window as the squirrel carried off the fruit one by one. Observing them, it seemed like squirrels were always in survival mode. They stash the fruit all over the backyard, and I often found their hidden stashes buried in my garden. Over time, this became good fertilizer for my plants.

The squirrels probably don't even imagine how many little critters depend on the stashes that they store throughout my yard. It seems like the entire ecosystem of my backyard thrives on the food storage created by these squirrels for survival.

Watching the squirrels reminded me of our personal walks and journeys with God. As we pursue God for our own nourishment and survival, we often underestimate how much our journey with Him is not just about our individual needs. Our walk with God is much bigger than ourselves. Out of our relationship with the Lord, many others benefit, often in ways we may never fully understand.

When I reflect on the lives of God’s people in the Bible, I am convinced they had no idea how their stories and words would impact us today. They were likely seeking God out of survival, as their lives depended on it, yet we continue to find nourishment from their experiences. The words they spoke were born out of their pursuit of God, who sustained and carried them as they progressed on their spiritual journeys.

For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Pe. 1:21)