Called By God to Photosynthesize

The following blog post is in response to the daily Crosswalk by Jack Graham based on the following quote from this excerpt:

So the photosynthesis process turns substances that could cause death into substances that nourish and produce life. Spiritually, God calls you to be transformed so He can use you to help transform others from the death that sin brings to new life in a relationship with Him.

I was brought back in time by God today from a frustrating season of my life as I neared the end of my senior year at International Bible College. I was finally able to heal from a horrible and destructive relationship that occurred at a previous college I was attending. I began to gain confidence in myself and a began to enjoy an intimate relationship with the Lord. It was to the point that I could receive negative feedback (aka constructive criticism) from both my peers and professors regarding my emotions and character. I was learning so much about myself and how to conduct myself in righteous manner.

Although I had gained much insight I grew frustrated with myself because I wasn't being transformed fast enough. I was trying so hard to live as Stephen Convey recommended in his book " Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" but it seemed impossible. I wanted to be this perfect Christian Witness. I wanted to get up at 5am to pray everyday. I wanted to be a Proverbs 31 woman who had the spotless house. I wanted people to respect me. I wanted to be persuasive with people when it came to the gospel. I wanted to be a pastor right away. I wanted to feel strong when I dealt with people seemingly difficult without loosing my cool. I wanted to be able to talk to people without being paranoid that they secretly hated me.

I remember crying and petitioning the Lord one day in my dorm room. I had just read a passage out of Isaiah about planting and harvesting and God gave me a vision of myself. A plant was silhouetted against a beautiful sunset. Then the vantage point changed so that I was the plant. I was holding a mirror up to myself and was checking out my stem and leaves. I picked up pruners and began to snip at myself. Soon a gardener came and took my pruners way, picked up my mirror and smashed it on the ground. I soon realized that God was in control and I didn't need to worry about becoming Christlike overnight.I knew it was going to take time to grow and be fruitful.

When I read the passage above, the vision struck me again. Since the vision was a plant (me) in a garden (the world/ circumstance I was in) and a gardener (God)this valuable message emerged. God has called us to be who we are, rooted in a garden that he tends and make a difference only by his progress report. God wants me to be righteous so that we can provide life (oxygen) out of the very poisonous gas that could cause death. Instead of trying to be the best plant, pruning and observing constantly our progress, he wants us to be a plant, not the gardener too.
This gives me peace about my performance and hope in God's help so that we can make a difference in the world.

In conclusion, I will end with the following quote:
Invite God to do transform your heart so it becomes loving, and your mind so you can think accurately and see life from the right perspective. Once God has transformed you on the inside, the changes will ripple out and affect your behavior, motivating you to reach out to others in need of God's love. Ask God to work through you to spread His love like life-giving oxygen to people who poisoned by deadly sin in their lives.