Sotiris: Lesson 3

New Experiences Bring Growth

I know that this isn't really a news flash for those of you reading - new experiences bring growth - but in light of the circumstances, I caught a glimpse of a little profundity in a very common truth.

When I fist started looking up instructions on how to care for Sotiris, my indoor tree, what I found stated that when the weather is warmer than 40 degrees, it should be outside. *insert snarky look* 

CUZ THAT MAKES SENSE!! 

The key to caring for your indoor plant is making sure it gets plenty of time outside....yea well, ok!

It's all good anyway. I would NEVER want to deprive this tree of a good dose of sunshine, so no worries. However, I got Sotiris in the winter, and weather is not exactly permissible for much outside time during the winter. So I've taken to only putting him outside on "good days". And finding little nooks for him to hang out in throughout the house when he can't go out. The thing is, even outside there are so many options on where to set him to soak up some sunshine and warmth!

So one morning shortly after getting him, I took him outside and said, "Let's go somewhere new today....Maybe sitting someplace different will be good for you."

Well, as soon as the words came out of my mouth (because, yes, I do speak audibly to my tree), it was like lightening flashed and suddenly I could see the growth that has taken place in every new location/experience in my life. More than that, I saw how even the scariest and most uncertain situations had wonderful impacts in my walk with Christ and revealed more of who He is to me. This was all in a split second of course. So then I paused....

Sotiris is a prayer tree. A symbol of the faithfulness and growth that I'm praying and trusting for in those who have yet to surrender their lives to Christ. So when I walk with him in the mornings to whichever chosen location, that time is spent meditating, reflecting, praying and listening to the Lord specifically over those individuals. Thus, this profound moment of new experiences wasn't about me at all. It was about those who have not yet come to know Jesus as both Lord and Friend, Savior and Master, wholly Just and fully Gracious; it was a direction for my prayer to turn that Christ might be revealed. Before I knew it, I was praying:

Lord, give ... the new experiences that open up challenge and enable growth. And when it seems difficult, show them your strength. When it seems scary, wrap them in your arms. And when they feel all alone, may they know that You will never leave of forsake them, and that they are being covered in the prayers of those who care for them. Most importantly, may they come to see their own need for You in their life. Amen.

 And I knew, as the prayer was being spoken that this was one of those dangerous prayers. The kind of prayer that asks the Lord to move in a mighty way that requires humility and courage on the part of the receiver. Because when God answers these kinds of prayers, we're not naturally inclined to lean into the pain and uncomfortability of it. The most trusting of us, have to teach our spirits to lean into that faith that we cling to in these moments and tell our souls that it is well. Praying this over those who have not come face to face with the majesty and grace and peace of the Lord Jesus, is like asking my best friend to shoot the neighbor with a paintball gun while the neighbor walks around the yard blindfolded. It seems so cruel!
And yet...
There is purpose and peace in the Lord's leading to pray such a prayer. We don't come to accept Christ as Lord by living a peaceful life that "seems" completely manageable. When we mostly have it all under control as best as we can, we don't go looking for help. It doesn't mean we don't need help. We just don't typically ask for help if we think we can do it on our own. It may seem cruel to ask for a storm when what we really want is the calm of flowery fields. But when you love those too much to let them continue walking around blind to their own need, sometimes you have to pray the dangerous prayers, ask the Lord to do the hard things and beg that their hearts will see and receive Him when His presence becomes revealed. 

I chuckle each morning as Sotiris and I walk through the house searching for the place to sit and warm and grow and be fed that day, because I know that others in the house will probably get a giggle when they come across him in a new location. But it is SO intentional. Because this is a lesson that I don't want to ever miss. For me. For you. For those that I'm praying for. 
Each mornings search begins the process when I pray for wisdom, strength and blessing. New places and situations can be terrifying, but there is so much more to be gained. 
When we trust.