The Water and the Seed (Ode to the New Year)

Some of you reading this may struggle with “New Year's Resolutions” like I have. I want you to know this doesn’t make you any less than. The hustle culture perpetuated in American society is not for me, and I imagine it is not for you. As I write this, I want you to know that hard work is essential and has its place, but what if God wants us to focus on Him more in 2024? While having intentional and deliberate goals is a good thing throughout any year you approach, I believe that if the change you want is not firstly birthed out of prayer, you can count on the change not genuinely lasting.

 

You see, I’ve struggled quite a bit with this thought pattern. Growing up, I was always determined and naturally a hard worker. (I say this with all humility, of course). I had to learn throughout time with God that it is not all about determination, working hard, and willpower. Instead, it is about trusting God to provide the fruit of our labor. When we do this, we rest knowing that God will bring our works to fruition, and we don’t have to overwork ourselves to get a result that was outside of God’s will in the first place. I would venture to say that if you find yourself overworking to achieve a goal, then I’m confident that this goal is not one from God. God will not give you anything that puts the attention on you and the stained glory from your work ethic. Instead, He will provide you with something that will compel you to your knees to thank Him for His grace and mercy in bringing you out of a difficult situation. The same is true in our business endeavors and daily dealings with people and purpose.

 

Please know that I write gracefully in this, for it is challenging to master conceptually in our minds. But even in this, God’s Spirit reminds me of the following: “One little step at a time.” “Baby steps in any direction will get you wherever you want.” “1% better each day.” These things sound repetitive, but when we truly get these things in our spirit from a biblical standpoint, we understand that our lives are about trusting God to do what He said He would do and working from a place of rest. When we do this, we don’t overstress about the amount of harvest we have seen in one day. Instead, we thank God and appreciate Him for the number of seeds planted and sown into the soil. God tells us in 1 Corinthians 3:6- 9 that while one person waters the seed and another plants the seed, God is the one who grows it. In other words, God is the one who will make it happen! Trust Him to do it!

 

Believe in the mundane and the cliché; God can be found in these things. The dew that dresses the grass each morning is a minor occurrence to us because it happens each day, but this still does not take away from the power of that moment. There is much more to this than what meets the eye. God is intentional every morning about reaching down his hand and touching every blade of grass. In fact, in the beginning of time itself, God finished that work. He was so intentional and deliberate that even in the death of our relationship with Him, He still found a way to make all things new, and He did it so intentionally that this truth is still unfolding even to this day. So, pay attention to the small stuff and recognize that in these things, the same truth that exists here is present in the rest of our lives: God is present with us this day and every day, and it is our purpose to recognize this and praise Him with our lives because of it. With this truth, we know that as we make mistakes in this New Year, there is grace for us to continue, regardless of whether we’ve been consistent in our resolutions. The truth of God remains the same, and the most important thing is for us to tap into that.

 

Much love and appreciation to you,

- Marlon