Whenever our grandkids come over, I like to plan a craft for all of us to work on. Recently I came up with the brilliant idea to make fairy gardens. My online search for ideas made me realize that this fairy garden hobby is a big thing. Oh my I had no idea! I also had to remind myself that my grandkids were ages two, four and six. I had better keep simple and fun. As I gathered up the supplies, I made sure that little hands could manage what Nana was going to attempt to teach them. When the grandkids arrived, they were so excited! They loved painting rocks and getting their hands in the dirt and placing it in the clay pots. All the little fairy garden accessories of course would be placed last as staging is so important. ☺️These were my thoughts as I imagined the big reveal. As the project went on, my grand ideas took a different turn. They had their own ideas about this project! Fairy gardens became layers of painted rocks and lots of dirt. All the gnomes and fairies had an untimely burial underneath the excitement of still more dirt piling high to the very top. The Lord graciously reminded me to just go with it and have fun. They were so proud of their little creations and this Nana’s heart was overjoyed!
This whole project became a lesson for me about the will of God! His plan for us is so beyond what our finite minds can grasp and as a result we spend much of our lives reducing His infinite wisdom to our limited sense of all that is momentary. How long do we walk with Christ seeking His approval on our plan rather than His? We tell the Lord we want only what He wants, but then when life looks and feels less than our dearest dreams we question His wisdom and goodness.
We join prayers groups, we stick scripture on our mirrors and reading God’s word becomes less about personal transformation and knowing the character of God but more about looking for validation on who we are and what we expect Him to do. As a result we stay stuck, claiming what we hope is the will of God. All the while the Lord is waiting for our surrender!
In Gal 2:20 Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
At some point we have lost the message of the cross. The idea of a cross no longer fills seats in the pews or sells out conference venues. Jesus on the cross was good for us and we rejoice. But to willingly and gladly dare I say, share that path with Him seems to go against the grain of our pursuit of the god of our happiness.
It was Elisabeth Elliot who said, “The will of God is not something you add to your life. It’s a course you choose. You either line yourself up with the Son of God…or you capitulate to the principle which governs the rest of the world.”
Years ago I found this prayer in an old hymn book. It’s still my prayer today.
Teach us, good Lord, to serve thee as thou deservest; to give and not to count the cost; to fight and not to heed the wounds; to toil and not to seek for rest; to labor and not to ask for any reward, save that of knowing that we do thy will; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Fairy gardens have their place but we are not saved to live a life of make believe, perfectly placed little worlds. Our willingness to allow the Lord to fulfill His will for our lives will put us on the pathway toward true purpose not for ourselves alone but for Him who loved us and gave Himself up for us.
