The soil and the sea

I love the ocean. I wasn't raised near the water at all, in fact I was raised in the very middle of the United States, in Iowa. It's farmland as far as the eye can see. There are three things you will see in Iowa- corn, cows and soybeans. Iowa has some of the richest soil on the planet. You can plant anything there and it grows in a day...not really, but it seems like it. Anyway, I started to talk about the ocean and wandered off....my point is that although all I ever knew about growing up was farming I am drawn to the ocean because of its constant changing nature. The tide comes in with a flurry and rumble and then recedes again only to do it once more. Having grown up in Iowa I'm aware of the slow steady nature of God to fulfill his purposes. Day by day he is working and soon we see a crop...fruit from our waiting. The ocean makes me aware that my trials and problems that wash up on me with a great flurry and noise quickly recede only to come again at a later time. Both the soil and the sea are realities in my life. God is working in me day by day to produce a harvest in my life....fruit that will glorify him. Through the days I find that there are the occasional waves that wash over me and nearly knock me off my feet only to recede for another wave in a few moments. What a contrast- the constant work of God in me to produce a life that looks like Christ and the occasional work of the enemy that tries to knock me off my feet. One has eternal consequences and the other is just for a moment and will soon be gone. Both are part of my experience and I'm used to them both. Knowing how both God and our enemy are working makes the boredom of waiting for growth and the panic of the occasional wave all fit together nicely into a life lived in Texas.