“Hard things make us question. God, does it have to be this way? But with God, the reality of hard always holds the perspective of hope. It’s what we choose to see and what we choose to hear.”- Nicki Koziarz
In Chapter 6 (“Pruning Doubt”) of Flooded, Nicki Koziarz talks about what happened when the family first moved to the Fixer Upper Farm. Because the farm looked like a bit of an eyesore, Nicki hired the teenage son of a friend to work as a farmhand.
Griffin did everything the family asked. However, some miscommunication occurred in regard to the rose bushes – the only beautiful things on the farm. One day Nicki arrived home only to discover that Griffin mowed down the rose bushes. Completely down to the stub. Nicki thought the rose bushes were goners.
Next, Nicki applies this account to us:
“If we don’t want our disbelief to turn into unbelief, everything that has caused disbelief to stir in us has to be pruned back. Way back. All the way to where there is almost nothing left.”
And those rose bushes? They didn’t come back the next summer. But they came back the summer after that, producing beautiful blooms. Thankfully, Nicki adds, the lawn mower failed to damage the mature roots. Likewise, the process of pruning feels risky to us. Consequently, the following always involve a risk:
- trust in the midst of questions
- belief when it feels unbelievable
- staying rooted instead of running
- being humble enough to admit things need to be removed from within us
In conclusion, Nicki underscores, every season of our life provides the opportunity to prune some stuff back. Even seasons of growth. Therefore, the author asks what God’s pruning in you. And, like the silence before God, will you permit this change? Finally, Nicki adds:
‘To listen to God well, we need to hear the easy things just as much as we need to hear the hard. We can’t have just one. That’s not the full picture of what our process with God is like.”
Today’s question: What Scriptures help recall that the reality of hard holds the perspective of hope? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “The doubt that floods your mind – rise above!”
