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
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
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Archive
2023
January
Don’t Waste Your Year | Week of January 1stFasting and Prayer ResourcesWhen You Feel Like You Need A Comeback | Week of January 8thFamily Resources | Week of January 8th21 Days of Prayer & FastingFamily Resources | Week of January 15thHow Is My Appetite? | Hungry | Week 1Day 1 | Hunger Produces ActionDay 2 | Praising God For His MovementDay 3 | Revealing With Dulls My AppetiteDay 4 | Delighting In The LordDay 5 | Constant Access To Living WaterDay 6 | Approaching God Without FearDay 7 | Enlarging Your Capacity For LoveFamily Resources | Week of January 22ndHungry To Love And Be Loved | Hungry | Week 2Day 8 | Contagious CommunityDay 9 | Designed With Desire And Need For CommunityDay 10 | Unity Is Not An Optional StrategyDay 11 | Desiring For Our Neighbor's GoodDay 12 | Community As ProtectionDay 13 | Many AdvisorsHungry To Make A Difference | Hungry | Week 3Family Resources | Week of January 29thDay 14 | Where Do You Take Your Watering Can?Day 15 | Created To Make A DifferenceDay 16 | To Cultivate And Keep It
February
Day 17 | Good WorksDay 18 | A Community Of Civic BenefactionDay 19 | Vision and DirectionDay 20 | Divine PotentialLaws of Attraction | Song of Solomon | Week 1Family Resources | Week of February 5thDay 21 | Koinonia ContributionDating | Song of Solomon | Week of Sunday, February 12thFamily Resources | Week of February 12thSexual Intimacy | Song of Solomon | Week 3Family Resources | Week of February 19thFighting Fair | Song of Solomon | Week 4Family Resources | Week of February 26th
March
Making Love Last | Song of Solomon | Week 5Family Resources | Week of March 5thThe Kingdom: This Is What You Want | Week of March 12thFamily Resources | Week of March 12thJesus Shows Us What Real Love Is | Why Did Jesus Die? | Week 1Family Resources | Week of March 19thJesus Died To Set Us Free | Why Did Jesus Die? | Week 2Family Resources | Week of March 26th
April
Family Resources | Week of April 2ndJesus Died To Take Our Place | Why Did Jesus Die? | Week 3Family Resources | Week of April 9thWhy Did Jesus Die and Rise Again? | Why Did Jesus Die? | Week 4Family Resources | Week of April 16thMercy For Those Who Doubt | Reasonable Doubt | Week OneFamily Resources | Week of April 23rdCan Science and Christianity Coexist? | Reasonable Doubt | Week 2Family Resources | Week of April 30thSometimes I Doubt Because of Christian Hypocrites | Reasonable Doubt | Week 3
May
Emotions, Impossible Questions, and Doubts | Reasonable Doubt | Week 4Family Resources | Week of May 7thGod Loves It | Week of May 14thFamily Resources | Week of May 14thCan Worry Increase Your Life? | Questions Jesus Asked | Week 1Family Resources | Week of May 21stHow Can We Be Made Salty Again? | Questions Jesus Asked | Week 2Family Resources | Week of May 28th
June
Why Are You Asleep? | Questions Jesus Asked | Week 3Family Resources | Week of June 4Do You Want To Be Made Well? | Questions Jesus Asked | Week 4Family Resources | Week of June 11Do You Believe I Am Able To Do This? | Questions Jesus Asked | Week 5Family Resources | Week of June 18Why Are You So Afraid? | Questions Jesus Asked | Week 6Family Resources | Week of June 25
July
Sabbath Keepers | Questions Jesus Asked | Week 7Family Resources | Week of July 2Who Touched Me? | Questions Jesus Asked | Week 8Family Resources | Week of July 9How Many Loaves Do You Have? | Questions Jesus Asked | Week 9Family Resources | Week of July 16What If I Want John To Live Forever? | Questions Jesus Asked | Week 10Family Resources | Week of July 23What Can Anyone Give In Exchange For Their Soul? | Questions Jesus Asked | Week 11Family Resources | Week of July 30
August
Family Resources | Week of August 6Expectation Deficit Disorder | Immeasurably More | Week 1Day 1 | Monday, August 7th | Immeasurably More: God-Sized VisionDay 2 | Wednesday, August 9th | Immeasurably More: The ExamenDay 3 | Friday, August 11th | Immeasurably More: KnockImmeasurably More For Your Family | Immeasurably More | Week 2Family Resources | Week of August 13Day 4 | Monday, August 14th | Immeasurably More: Eternal PrioritiesDay 5 | Wednesday, August 16th | The Deep Stillness of MorningDay 6 | Friday, August 18th | Family TraditionsImmeasurably More In Our Church | Immeasurably More | Week 3Family Resources | Week of August 20Day 7 | Monday, August 21st | Pray, Bless, and Do GoodDay 8 | Wednesday, August 23rd | How to Know if You've Really Been to ChurchDay 9 | Friday, August 25th | Praying Big, Bold, Specific PrayersImmeasurably More In Our Friendships | Immeasurably More | Week 4
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