Growing in Crises

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. (Hebrews 11:1-2 ESV). It won’t be too much longer before we begin to start the spring season of yard word. The winter is always a time to pull back and rest, both for people and plants! However, when the warm weather begins everything will emerge for a new season. That means work for us! There is always one area of this task that surprises me. The grass that has grown between the cracks in the driveway seems to do the best all year long. Even now when the rest of the yard starts to “die,” it seems to do well in the cracks! As I got to thinking, however, it made perfect sense. These grasses are very resistant to heat and direct sunlight. In fact as the moisture drains down the rooftop at night, so the roots were able to pick up nourishment and refreshment that seeps down into the crack. It doesn’t just survive, it was thrives! The image of this tough grass growing in a crack in the driveway was a powerful thought as I began to prepare this morning’s devotional. I began to think of all the people who have known suffering in their lives. They often are like the grass that grew in the crack in the concrete! They find a way to thrive even when life is hard, unkind, unfair, and tough. They have discovered a tremendous secret in their faith. Too often, people blame their problems on someone else, using their backgrounds as an excuse for their failures and wickedness. All of the faithful characters mentioned in the chapter our reading is taken from this morning are reminders of what God can do with folks who are yielded to him. God can take them and make them strong, healthy, and beautiful, even if they are planted in a crack in the asphalt. When you’re living for God, you don’t have much time to make excuses; you’ve got to get on about life. It reminds us that people of faith were not special because they had it easy, but because they believed God was at work in their lives and that he would reward their faithfulness. Because of their faith, they grew in the cracks. Their growth doesn’t leave much room for us to say: “You don’t understand, life hasn’t been fair.” “You can’t expect as much from me because of the hard times I grew up with.” No, their faith reminds us that life is seldom easy, and that joy and success are rooted in whom we serve and not where we serve. The issue of life is not where we begin, but where we’re going and where we end up. So if we find ourselves in a crack of life, let’s not let it discourage or defeat us. No, let’s use it to help us grow! Some of us just simply grow best in the cracks!