PLANT. WAIT. ENJOY.

Saturday was the day. Our landscape C3 partners were feverishly planting some funky looking things in the ground called bulbs. No one was applauding. There were no cheers. The bulbs are nothing to look at. But a few months from now people will slow down in awe as they do every year on our campus. Parents will plant their children in front of the showy display of color for a photo op. I'll be grateful for the team that took a Saturday morning to do some tedious yet boring work that will result in brilliant beauty.

That's the way so many beautiful things work: plant, wait, enjoy. Consider...

• a beautiful friendship
• a beautiful marriage
• a beautiful garden
• a beautiful home
• a beautiful family

How did it happen? Somebody planted without applause: seeds of kindness, bulbs of disciplined commitment, tubers of respect. They fertilized it and watered it with perseverance, faithfulness, consistency. Then they waited for something beautiful to appear.

So plant what seems insignificant. Like an ugly bulb, in the right conditions, it will spring forth into something beautiful.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9, NIV)

ALWAYS LOGICAL? Maybe not...

I'm a logical guy. Give me the facts. Show me the map. Let's look at the stats. Not a fan of conjecture, unthoughtful planning, and no strategy. But sometimes, following God is not...logical.

What I mean is that from my point of view, following God, does not always include the next most logical move. It means sometimes God's request of us calls for surrender to His wisdom rather than our own.

Don't some of God's moves defy logic?
Would you choose a man hiding in a winepress to lead an army? God did. He chose Gideon.
Would you entrust the leadership of millions to a man who had only led sheep? God did. He chose Moses.
Does logic lead us to assign the leadership of a movement to 12 guys who don't appear to be team-minded? No. But Jesus did.

Today, Jesus might ask you to do something illogical. Trust Him.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
    and do not lean on your own understanding.
⁶ In all your ways acknowledge him,
    and he will make straight your paths.
⁷ Be not wise in your own eyes...
Proverbs 3:5-7a (ESV)