“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9
Darkness doesn’t always appear to be troublesome. We need it in order to sleep. Without the reset, we’d get rundown real quick. But if you continue to live in darkness, you will get lost. You will be confused, not being able to understand your surroundings. And it’s in those times that you need the help of others to guide you out.
My goal in sharing my stories is to help anyone that finds themselves in the dark. However, I am not the light source. I am only reading the metaphorical map that is the Bible and aiming the metaphorical lamp that is the Holy Spirit for those who need help illuminating their path until they are ready to step out fully into His marvelous light.
I met God on a field. My husband is a college coach, so it was on an athletic field, not a field for planting, where my tiny seed of faith started to grow. I didn’t know what was happening at the moment. All I knew was that I stepped onto that field in the bright daylight filled with joy, hope, and the illusion that my hard work and plans were coming together. And I left that field surrounded by total darkness, lost, confused, and gut-wrenchingly devastated. I could no longer believe the lie that I was in control of my destiny.
Don’t get me wrong, I had heard about him before that. I even thought I knew who he was and that I had already done all I needed to be a follower. I accepted the gift of his son’s sacrifice on my behalf. I took that gift and put it in my metaphorical trophy case, where it started slowly collecting dust.
But it turns out God wanted more than that. He wanted a relationship with me, an ongoing dependency marked by radical obedience. He wanted me to spend time with him daily, getting to know and love him for who he truly was, not what I had heard or assumed. He wanted my heart and to give me everything he had planned for my life. He wanted to develop me into who He had created me to be- his special person.
He had tried to meet me before that day, but I was too busy, too distracted, and too comfortable. I didn’t need or want to hear from him.
What happened on that field completely humbled me. There was no denying that I had no actual control over my future. I didn’t have the best plan or the power to bring it to fruition. And I could no longer ignore him. So, I stepped out of the darkness and into His marvelous light. And that light started to break open my tiny seed.
His light caused the seed to sprout through offshoots here and there. His light started to shine as I read books to encourage faith, watched church sermons online, and recited prayers and petitions of Saints that knew my pain. The more I learned about God and Jesus, the more I wanted to know. Those small offshoots grew into large branches once I became more comfortable stepping further into the light- in-person church on Sundays, small group once a week, and reading the Bible in a year plan.
But it wasn’t until I finally and fully accepted the Bible as living and active, relative and necessary to my life, that my tree developed deep roots. The full power of His light washed over me once I started studying the Bible with others and on my own. I began to understand His character and deep love for me, which nourished my tree to thrive. I started to serve in my local church and figure out my spiritual gifts and His calling on my life. I produced fruit and watched as others tasted of God’s goodness from my output.
And 15 years later, a large tree with strong branches, deep roots, and a bounty of fruit has come from that tiny seed.
Matthew 13: 31-32 says, “He told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.’”
Since that day on the field, I have worked tirelessly to know God and study his Word. I have spent so much time growing in my relationship with Jesus. Just like how plants depend on light to induce the growing cycle and allow for healthy development, so do we.
And now that my roots are established firmly, and my branches are producing fruit in excess, I know that I have been chosen to tell of His excellent qualities and share my faith journey in hopes it will help and encourage others in theirs.
My suffering on the field that day was not in vain because it is where I decided to take God’s extended hand and let Him lead me with His light instead of charging off into the darkness alone. He had been patiently waiting a long time for me to finally realize my need for His guidance, no longer reliant on my own abilities. You see, it wasn’t what I was doing that made the difference. It was that I was doing it in the rays of His light. He called me out.
My seed had to crack for His light to penetrate and for my faith to grow into the strong, deeply rooted tree it is today.
And the best thing about others taking fruit from my tree is that within that fruit are more seeds, just waiting to be planted. I want to spread more gospel seeds of truth, providing the time, space, insight, and guidance to anyone who wants to take it and plant a seed themselves. And they have refuge while waiting for their tiny sprouts to emerge, like the birds at the mustard tree.
So, if you’re ready, go ahead and step into His marvelous light.
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