A NEW SOIL FOR A NEW SEASON

Posted byDianne HornePosted inUncategorized

Even before the words are expressed on these pages, there has been a Gardener in my heart and soul that has stirred me to communicate and confess that the soil of my heart and soul has stagnated in places.  They aren’t areas of a large terrain, but some tiny opportunity spots that haven’t been exposed to the Son’s touch of refreshment and fertilizer.

Honesty prevailing here, I didn’t even recognize that the soil of my heart was becoming hidden and malnourished because I was afraid of pondering the landscape of grief.   The grief isn’t because of someone leaving this life, but rather a sense that my soil had shifted, and I felt that some of my roots seemed buried. 

This is difficult to write about because there is a stirring deep within me, but there is no outlet above ground.  It’s as though my passion is growing deep inside my heart, but there is nowhere for it to be expressed.  

Talking about these issues to a few close friends is not the answer, nor does it bring relief to talk with my husband.   In sharing this with the Lord, I know He understands and cares, and only the “nutrient of grace” He brings to me conveys peace, and the fact that His sovereignty rules over all.

Sovereignty:  supreme authority, control and power over all that has happened, is happening, and will happen in the future, in all times, and across all history; and to govern all that happens, and what has, is, or will happen always being in accordance to His divine will.   He has the right to achieve His purpose, and has the power to bring about circumstances that dictate whatever He wills to come to pass.  He has complete control of everything, and there is nothing that is done that is not done or allowed through His will. 

Proverbs 16:6 “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”

Zechariah 4:6 “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel:  Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.”

Psalm 103:19, “The Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all.

Even as I view these verses in front of me, they remind me that I am not in charge of any “opportunities for ministry,” God is.   I’ve been introduced to a few relationships in this new country I’m living in.  The moment I sense oxygen reaching out from within me, I’m transplanted again, out of that situation and into my home garden.

Seeing a beautiful garden brings such joy and beauty to me.  Whenever I meet other women, it’s like I’m entering their world, their garden of beauty, and I want to be involved in the soil of their lives.  A few meaningful conversations take place and my heart begins to beat, wondering where this relationship might be headed.

When the gate at these gardens close and I’m back home again, I’m home with disappointment flooding my heart and mind.

Seeing my thoughts on paper help me to realize afresh, that I’m not the one responsible for my life, my opportunities, my purpose, my fulfillment.   I’m His………and God is the One in the driver’s seat.   I’m sure somewhere buried beneath all this is pride…..yes…..but I want my life to count for eternity, and I long to come alongside other women and share truths and experiences from my walk with Him.

Seasons change….and our “personal soil” of location changes too.  A timely text arrived on my phone just now.  It’s a blog from Ann Graham Lotz and I must quote it, as it was to me, a beautiful reminder from God on what He may be up to in my “current soil” of waiting.

The Silence of God

He who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him.   Psalm 32:10, NKJV

“Is God silent in your life?  What prayers has He not answered for you?  

At a time of unanswered prayer in my life years ago, my mother taught me the verse to a hymn that I still quote when I am totally baffled by events that seem to careen out of the orbit of what I have asked:

Trust Him when dark doubts assail thee,

Trust Him when thy strength is small,

Trust Him when to simply trust Him,

Seems the hardest thing of all.

Is your focus on your immediate need blinding you to a greater purpose that God is working out?  Would you choose to be patient and simply trust Him?  Sometimes God does not answer our immediate prayer because He has something greater in store for us.”  Anne Graham Lotz

Published by Dianne Horne

I can’t think of anything I enjoy more than to see lives changed! There’s nothing more that puts “oxygen and joy” into my life than to bring the application of Scripture into the “shoe leather” of our lives and to share it with others. I feel awkward speaking about myself, but I understand it can be helpful to enable others to relate to and enjoy the work of our Lord does in other people. Another down-to-earth way of sharing who I am, is that I love to eat, laugh and to talk about the Lord. I’m not a very exciting individual, but my Savior sure is! I’ve been happily married for many years, and I now reside in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. God has transplanted my husband and I 28 times in our years together; and it is only when in His presence that you can ask the “why questions” as to the adjustments He’s brought us “to” and “through” in the numerous locations and countries we have lived. God’s care, love, forgiveness, faithfulness and moment-by-moment presence has not only carried me (when I had every reason to fall apart), but lifted me to a joy I’ve never known. There’s one thing to have joy when things are going great, and quite another dimension of joy and peace when everything in your world is crumbling and unknown. Most of our lives will appear like “ordinary oatmeal living”, but when we allow Him to “establish our steps”, He alone takes our mundane acts of kindness or aid and makes them “extraordinary” for His purpose in the lives of others. The seasons of caring for my parents and the associated grieving process has forever changed me. It was my honor, joy and privilege to participate with my Lord in what He was accomplishing in their lives, as they both gave their lives to Jesus Christ just days before they were escorted into His presence in heaven. The medical challenges and decisions that needed to be made for a number of those years thrust me into a trust and dependence upon the Lord that I had never known up to that point in my life. In my journey, I’ve come to realize that our “weakness” is our greatest “strength”, because real power, provision, and His purpose being carried out in and through our lives, depends on Him orchestrating such through His sovereignty. My “heartbeat of fulfillment” lies in sharing with women, in various settings, helping them to enjoy, study and apply the principles of God’s Word in a down-to-earth fashion. I thrive interacting with women and encouraging them to put their trust in the One Who knows them best and loves them extravagantly; and to prioritize “spending time alone with God each day” developing their relationship with Him. Our lives aren’t designed to just get answers to prayer….but to know and love a very personal Savior, and to surrender daily to “His plans, His agenda and purpose” for our lives. Several years ago I was challenged to respond to a critical question I had never considered: Why do you exist? What’s your purpose in life? I live to bring an expression of God in the ordinary events of life, seizing every opportunity of serving and delighting in others. I want my life to be an infectious expression of His love for others, and for them to know how special “they are” to Him; and thus be contagious with His grace. My life compass is: After people spend time with me, what do they think of Jesus Christ? The stories that will appear in my blog, are true events that have taken place in my journey. They’re all “very ordinary” circumstances that have occurred through sharing them with Jesus and watching Him orchestrate and demonstrate what He can do when we yield “our ordinary” to the Extraordinary One.

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