Day 14 | Where Do You Take Your Watering Can?

“We inwardly sigh as we live in these physical ‘tents,’ longing to put on a new body for our life in heaven, in the belief that once we put on our new ‘clothing’ we won’t find ourselves ‘naked.’ So, while living in this ‘tent,’ we groan under its burden, not because we want to die but because we want these new bodies. We crave for all that is mortal to be swallowed up by eternal life. And this is no empty hope, for God himself is the one who has prepared us for this wonderful destiny. And to confirm this promise, he has given us the Holy Spirit, like an engagement ring, as a guarantee.”
2 Corinthians 5:2-5 TPT

We all know that phrase “the grass is greener … yada yada”. I had another reminder this week of how horribly wrong that phrase is. Once we have that job we’ve been working toward for years, we realize all of the downsides.  As soon as we settle into a marriage we’ve been praying for, we realize it’s not exactly up to our childhood dreams. We finally find that one friend we’ve been waiting for and then we end up feeling betrayed and hurt. I wonder if part of this is our innate design – that God designed us for Eden and yet we live in this fallen world. Our inner dreams and desires just cannot be fully fulfilled outside of God redeeming and reversing the curse. 

Similar to Paul talking about how we crave for our new bodies, for all that is mortal to be swallowed up by eternal life, I think we long and crave for relationships to be right, to be redeemed and made whole. We’ve been reflecting on God’s design in the garden and reminding ourselves that we were designed out of community and unity. The curse of Adam and Eve severely disrupted that design.

As Paul reminds us here, through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, when we choose to receive Christ, we are given the Holy Spirit. Yes, as a guarantee that God will redeem all things. But also as preparation for the wonderful destiny ahead. The return to the garden. That one day, God will set all things right and the curse of Adam will be reversed. With all things being made whole, our relationships will be made whole. So, I guess, the grass is actually greener when God will make all things right again.

And yet, the Holy Spirit gives us a watering can every single day. Yes, we wait and hope and long for God setting our world and our relationships right. In the meantime, we’re called to be gardeners and stewards and shepherds. We have a unique calling to get our hands dirty, to pull weeds, to smell like sheep – as a friend told me this week! We get to water the plots of land we find ourselves on and God will do the growing and fertilizing. And while we water in step with the Holy Spirit, we get to remember the hope that one day, all that is mortal will be swallowed up by eternal life and our God will redeem all things.

Today, ask the Holy Spirit to show you where to water. Who does he want you to reach out to? How does he want you to bring his new life to someone?

Blessings,
Lydia Long