Kingdom Harbor

It’s blowing everywhere, covering everything.  Cottonwood trees are spreading their seed indiscriminately by way of the warm spring breeze.

Those of us too absorbed in our ordinary affairs will simply ignore nature’s process of procreation as pollen storms blow in and cotton-like snow accumulates on our lawns, car windshields, patio furniture and everything else.  Until, that is, that pesky cotton begins landing on top your hamburgers on the grill, or you snort it up your nose on your morning jog. That’s how it caught my attention this spring.

Still, instead of literally cursing the wind, my mind began to wander to an extraordinary biblical truth or, as I call them, a “sacred analogy” hidden in this otherwise ordinary spring occurrence. I began to think about how many of these potentially life-giving seeds would actually find fertile soil and bring forth new life?  I thought, “What a waste!  Nature seems so inefficient in it’s careless process of spreading so much seed around and getting so little return — so far as I can see.”

And then I thought of the the indiscriminate, impartiality of the grace of God.  Does God not shower us all with his common grace, causing his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sending rain on the righteous and the unrighteous (Matt 5:45)? Does the sower not cast the seed of the gospel everywhere, falling on all types of soils — some that burns up in the hot summer heat, some that’s choked out by the cares and worries of life, and still some that finds fertile soil and produces much fruit (Mark 4)?

In those moments when we begin to think His Word is being spread about to no avail, God’s Word reminds us that:

As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,

so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

(Isaiah 55:10-11)

Yes, it’s grace, grace, marvelous grace!  Though our sins be as scarlet, that white stuff is blowing everywhere, covering everything, making us white as snow again!  So, instead of cursing the wind the next time that white stuff lands so gentle on your hotdog or inside your can of pop, let it bring a smile to your face and a powerful reminder to your soul that God’s grace is blowing everywhere, covering everything!

Though your sins are like scarlet,
I will make them as white as snow.
Though they are red like crimson,
I will make them as white as wool.

(Isaiah 1:18)