A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the SON

One of the greatest things about homeschooling only one child is how much extra time we get to take for projects each day. But even then, we rarely get to every experiment in my lesson plan book during the year.  

Enter summer, stage right! Time for catching up on all those things we didn’t quite get to during the school year. 

Planting all of Abbey’s new flower seeds was one of the projects.  Our first attempt in recycled, empty yogurt containers filled with dirt from our yard was an epic failure, so we splurged and bought $1 biodegradable pots and a bag of $3 potting soil.  Much better results! 

Within five days, we saw our first sprouts.  Amazing how something so small can make an 8-year old so happy.  She came running through the house to tell us of the first signs of life.  By day two, five of the eight pots had new life pushing to the surface.  Then she began counting each individual sprout, amazed that by the end of each day, there were even more to count.  I think she went from 16 to 28 in one day’s time. They were literally growing right before her eyes! 

Once they get large enough, she is hoping to transfer them out to a flower bed that she and her daddy prepared for this very purpose.  Their chances of survival may actually go down quite a bit at that point, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. 

As I walked by the cups in the window this week, I noticed something.  All the sprouts were dramatically leaning towards the window, reaching towards the Source of light, as all new plants do.  No matter how many times I rotated the pots, within a few hours they would be leaning towards the window and the sunlight again.  

What makes them do that? We know, don't we? Someone is pulling them toward Himself.

God of wonders, beyond our galaxy. . .His hand is so apparent in every living thing.  It just takes opening our own eyes to see it.  

These tiny sprouts really reminded me of a time in my life when I was down in the spiritual dirt, waiting for my life to turn around, waiting for the sun to shine again.  I remembered how hard it was to keep looking up when there was so much darkness around me. 

Thankfully, God loved me enough to keep providing water and light and encouraging my bruised soul to keep growing, to keep reaching towards the surface, where life could begin again.  It was gradual, quiet and unassuming, but He kept speaking to me; He kept leading me. 

And I made it through the valley of darkness.  I had to work at it and it was hard, but I made it.  

Watching these tiny, tender sprouts reach for the sun made me realize how I now instinctively reach for the Son as I continue grow in my spirit. No matter how many times a day I get turned around, I still am pulled back to the Source of life.   I no longer spend hours and hours fretting and worrying before stopping to say, ‘Oh yeah---duh! I forgot to pray about it.”    

The longer I am a Christian the more instinctive it becomes to pray first and worry less.  That still, small voice that provides so much strength in His tender mercies keeps me moving through the valley.

If you’re in a dark time in your life right now; exhausted from trying to climb to the top of the dirt pile, or just exhausted from waiting on God to answer, please don’t give up!  

Life-sustaining Son-light is just around the corner.  

"Get out of bed, Jerusalem! Wake up. Put your face in the sunlight. God's bright glory has risen for you."  Isaiah 60:1