There’s more to come: "We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!” Romans 5:3-4 (The Message)
Dwelling in the Lord:It was on a Tuesday night, October 11th, 2016 to be exact. Pastor Josiah was given a word from the Holy Spirit for me that has rang true in every season of my life. He shared with me the name of a plant called Kohlrabi, a German cabbage plant. This plant has a bulb on the bottom with multiple sprouts coming out of the bulb. He then told me that each sprout represents a gifting that I have been given for the glory of the Lord. You can probably imagine where this is going… God’s glorious plans for our lives are meant to sprout forth from the bulb that is Him. Without the bulb of the plant, the sprouts do not last. With only the bulb, there is no opportunity for cabbage.“Give my entire attention to the Giver of good things, and rest in the knowledge that you are complete in Me.” Jesus Calling. That is what we are called to. We were never meant to focus solely on the gifts! It is when I surrender any other way of living, and ask God to be the source of my strength that I truly practice living with the perspective God created us all to have.
God sized capacity: I share the story of Kohlrabi because of this: A couple months ago was my sweet gift of a daughter’s due date, October 11th, 2024. In the wee hours of the night, on this same day of the month, the Holy Spirit woke me up and started unveiling the same truths of this word from eight years before. This time, revealing that becoming a mother was one of the “sprouts” that would soon blossom. He wanted to remind me of each individual calling in my life: daughter, sister, aunt, wife, friend, pastor, servant, counselor, leader… and now mother. He was teaching me to not squander any of the callings but rather to exercise them all, allowing God to make up the “bulb” of the Kohlrabi. He wanted to remind me to dwell in Him so that I can truly live and thrive as a mother too. He began to show me that I can be a mother, all while also stewarding the other gifts that He has created for me. We cannot live our lives measuring situations with our limited capacities. We have to remember that God’s measuring stick has a completely different capacity, beyond what our human brain can fathom. This is why we must always keep our perspectives in check by asking, “In what lens am I viewing my life?”. Am I living as a friend through God’s perspective or my own?
Spirit-colored glasses:We are all given so many different “sprouts” in our lives, and God wants us to live from the true source so that we will live the way He created us, glorifying Him. Sometimes that requires finding a new perspective. I like to think of it as colored glasses. I have been wearing the same orange colored glasses in the past year as we served and trusted God to build Faith Chapel. Now the Lord is calling me to put on a pair of yellow glasses so that I can see what He is doing next, and I believe He is asking all of us to do the same. Some of us could miss it if we don’t switch our glasses, or change our perspective. Maybe you feel stuck and your perspective isn’t necessarily an ungodly one. I believe that God asks us to always be growing so that we may learn to wear multiple glasses and see many different perspectives. Maybe you already have a good perspective but you are missing out on the changes that take place in the spiritual realm. Don’t allow your current perspective to rob you of the one God has for you in this season. I challenge you to do the deep heart work that it will take to allow God to give you spirit-colored glasses.
Engagement:
I am currently listening to “When You Are Near” by River Valley Worship, if you want to set the tone.
Think about your day to day and week to week. Think about the different responsibilities that you carry. Write down each of the things and then give them a name. What are the “sprouts” in your life? Are you a son, daughter, father, mother, teacher, friend? Think about your job, what hat do you wear in that environment? Counselor, teammate, coach, servant? Make a list of all the “titles” that you are in your life.
Just like the sprouts need the bulb to grow into a cabbage, we need our creator to be our source in all things. Are you making an effort to allow the Lord to be your dwelling place? Take a couple minutes to take deep inventory of your heart, repent, and ask the Lord to take His rightful place.
As you look at the titles you have written down, reflect on your perspectives. Am I living out my role as a _______ through God’s perspective or my own? Fill in the blank with each one you’ve written and reflect on your answer in prayer.
“There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!” Romans 5:3-4 (The Message)
Pastor Alyssa Aguilar
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