Time to Grow!

I drove to my childhood home a few weeks ago. What memories are stored there. One of them being the very live, very icky birth of baby calves. You see, my home was right across the street from an over-eaten cow pasture and my dear mom felt that every live birth was something to celebrate. You could always tell when it was about to happen: a small group of dairy cows would encircle the mother in the throws of labor. They would encourage and coach her along with awkward nudges, slimey licks and moo-filled cow talk.

At this sign, my mom would put the lawn chairs out and bring out the snacks! Thus, were the early lessons in sexuality at my home. But I learned something more during those births. I learned to pray. You see, my mom was just in love with Jesus enough to petition him on behalf of that mama cow and the baby-soon-to-be-born. I learned that we can take any petition to our God…even the birth of a dairy cow. That field was a field of prayers in my childhood.

As I drove up to my house last week, the cows were gone. They’ve been gone for years, but I noticed something new for the first time. The field was covered in wild flowers and young, but beautiful trees. Far from the barren look that it had when it was nurturing and welcoming life, it now has a hint of the Garden of Eden in its beauty. I know it sounds crazy, but I felt God download a spiritual truth into me at the first glance of that splendid growth. It was like he was saying: “Dannah, you are like this field. You can feed and nurture spiritual growth and life, but if you don’t rest from all the feeding to feed yourself you will become barren. Rest. Sequester yourself so you can grow, too!”

God commands us to grow. Yes, he tells us to disciple and evangelize and teach. But, he also says in I Peter 3:18 “But grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen!”  I think that when it comes to spiritual growth, I’m a little bit like that field. I need to rest from feeding everyone else so that God can plant seeds and nurture them in my own life.

September is a great month for a woman to take inventory on what efforts she is making to grow. Are you in the Word every day or is that getting squeezed out by your schedule? Have you gotten away for a spiritual retreat in the last year or is it time to get registered? Do you have a Bible study to start this fall or do you need to find one? It’s time to get back into routine, and to re-establish the priority of feeding on the Word so you can grow in grace!

© Dannah Gresh