Deadheading
God often speaks to me when I'm tending to gardening chores. This time of year, many of my flowers and vegetable plants are struggling to do their thing in the heat and dry conditions typical of summer in Southeast Oklahoma. As I was watering and deadheading flowers this morning, I was reminded of the need to "deadhead" unproductive things in my own life.
We often sing the beautiful worship song: Make Room. The words impact me greatly. I'm challenged to allow Holy Sirit to reveal to me those religious traditions that are hindering my moving forward in God's plan for my life. The song speaks of surrendering fully to God by laying down every burden, every crown, every lie and every doubt. The depth and seriousness of this kind of commitment to God is beyond words. As the song implies, it is in laying down all those things that makes more room for God in my life. As a fellow follower of Jesus, I'm sure you desire that as much as I do.
We know the Word teaches that we are to cast our burdens on the Lord (1 Peter 5:7) and Jesus invite us to come to Him because His yoke is easy, and His burden is light (Matthew 11:30). Do we do that? His desire is to give us rest, freedom from stress and anxiety. Do we practice God's instructions in Philippians 4:6-9? Do we give those things that hinder and trouble us to God and leave them with Him? Trusting Him to do as He has promised? Or do we continually carry those things around in our thoughts? Human nature tends to dwell on issues with our minds feverishly trying to work out a solution or come up with an answer of some sort. However, when we fail to take those thoughts captive as we are instructed to do in 2 Corinthians 10:5, we do not cast our cares on Him, and we do not run to Jesus and receive the relief that only He can give. As a result, we do not find rest and we do not experience peace.
Revelation 4:10 speaks of the elders casting their crowns down before the Throne of God as they worship the King of kings. To me, this speaks of casting down all their accomplishments in life and ministry. Nothing we could ever accomplish can compare to what Jesus Christ accomplished for us through His death, burial, ressurection, and ascension!
Deadheading those flowers provided me with a picture of myself as a follower of Jesus Christ. Beautiful blooms quickly fade and shirvel up. Those spent blooms must be removed for the plant to continue to produce even more beautiful flowers. If not, the plant will eventually stop blooming. The plant will still be alive, but it will no longer produce the beauty it once did. In much the same way, I must put past accomplishments and failures behind me. I need pruning and deadheading so that I can become more productive in fulfilling God's purposes for my life today and in the future.
Let me encourage you to allow Holy Spirit to do some deadheading in your life. Let Him deal with those cares, lies and doubts. He's big enough to do it. Thank Him for past accomplishments and then move on beyond them to the new blooms He wants to produce in your life (Ephesians 2:10).
