Midweek Musings...
~from the contemplative mind of that theological provocateur, Joseph B. Ostrander
What is it about the common challenges, disruptions and plain ol’ negative elements of this life-of-faith we professing saints of Thee Almightee experience at a very annoying, yet very predictable rate???
{sigh}
True confession time: I simply could not leave the nagging considerations of my most recent automobile accident alone; the outcome of that singular event has been bugging me now for the past 4 weeks…
So, how does the idea of being impacted by the oft-times severely negative circumstances relate to the divine character of this sometimes enigmatic Deity we claim fealty to???
Can you, dear reader, identify with this uncomfortable consideration? We claim to walk by faith, not sight, but what about that expected, and dreaded, sound of the other shoe about to drop? Or maybe more precisely, the dreaded sound of that divinely worn sandal we now expect is about to drop???
You know what I’m talking about. That uneasy feeling in the pit of your stomach when life seems to have finally settled down into a semi-comfortable pace, and that peaceful leg of the journey has been going on longer than you can ever remember it lasting before???
Yeah…
You sense in the back of your mind, or more precisely, deep down in the dimly lit basement of your soul that such an unnatural span of tranquility must certainly come to a halt, either abruptly, or through an escalating series of obstacles now encountered along the narrow path you’ve decided to keep stumbling along…
Whew…
Well, dear saints, I’ve had to rethink the manner which the Good Lord inserts Himself into the crazier elements of my regularly disrupted life…
A few scriptural concepts keep coming to my remembrance:
1. And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. ~Hebrews 12:5-11
2. “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” ~John 15:1-2
Discipline, training and pruning. Ouch. What saint actually welcomes such painful fashioning from the Master Gardener? I certainly do not. In fact, I hate it. Yup. And oh how the Good Lord knows exactly how much I hate it—I certainly complain about it each and every instance! However, He’s not disappointed, or upset, or surprised, or annoyed, or even left feeling underappreciated…
And He’s certainly not hesitant to perform such needed horticultural surgery without my permission. But I do sense that God is much more prone to persuasion by way of invitation than He is at resorting to divine coercion, manipulation or sheer force-of-will…
He has heard my anguished cries in the midst of each and every disruption, most recently the one that left me transportation challenged after my unwelcomed rollover mishap…
{sighx2}
It was during a past conversation at a winery with one of the regular Coastland’s saints that left me pondering just what she was implying when she pointed out that the past disruptions of my life could’ve been the only way God could’ve launched me out of the dead-end circumstances that I didn’t have the courage, perspective, energy, or resilience to catalyze solely on my own…
I have wondered why it’s the most disruptive elements of my life that act as the significant transitional segues, or directional whiplash elements, which launch me out on a different direction I wouldn’t have voluntarily decided to embark upon…
A direction out of my current comfort level, or a release from what has imprisoned me, or a moving on from what is not the most productive conditions impeding greater fruitfulness…
Since I’m very passionate about everything associated with the wonderful world of wine, the meticulous care that goes into managing a high quality vineyard (where all good vino is ‘birthed’) doesn’t escape my notice. Pruning the grapevines, thinning the canopy, even dropping some of the fruit, is all deliberately done with one goal in mind: the desired quality of the finished wine…
Although I admit these processes are necessary, they’re not at all comfortable when I experience them personally. Yes, I can wax theoretical and philosophical when talking about the reason for such viticultural practices, however, I cannot help but wince at the sound of Divine Loppers being sharpened and readied for their inevitable, yet skillful, use…
{snip—snip}
I appreciate more now the perspective that understands the Lord’s discipline as the actual training related to the careful shaping of a grapevine that is intended to bear better quality fruit, and in greater quantity too! As with most agricultural analogies, the ebb and flow of seasons, as well as recognizing grapes form only on 2nd year wood (canes), cannot be minimized. The process is neither a onetime experience, nor something than can be sped up by some magical 'shortcut' (pun intentional) no matter how intently we implore the Master Gardener. There are just some natural, and spiritual processes that cannot be avoided regardless of the visceral impact they may have on our fragile psyches…
And that, dear saints, is something I wish you would contemplate as you peruse this most recent blog post…
Think about it…
Then think about it some more…
Amen.