Growing in the Shade...Bending in the Light...

Now, my Grandaddy Joy had a "green thumb", he could walk
by a bush- brake off a limb- stick it in a jar and it would grow
roots. He taught me some about growing and tending to
these precious living things. When he passed away that's
exactly what he was doing- tending to his garden. I wish he
were here now so I could tell him about something I
discovered this week. So I'll share it with you....
Do you know why a plant when placed in the sun grows
toward the light? Well, I thought I did but....I didn't.
Plants contain a harmone called Auxin that causes growth
in length. Auxin is what makes a plant grow towards light.
When light hits the side of a stem the auxin moves away
from the light and accumulates on the shade side of the
stem.
When I first thought about a plant sitting in the light, I
automatically thought about God being our Source of
Light. How when the Master sits us in the window seal
we are drawn toward Him. Then I read on further about
this chemical called auxin.
The shift in the amount of auxin in the shaded side causes
greater growth to that side of the stem. Hmmmm so how
does that relate to the thought of this in Spiritual terms?
Then God began to reveal to me this....
There are season's in our Spiritual walk that we find our-
selves placed in the Window seal bathing in His Word and
in His presence. In all the while we face times of shaded,
shadowy and even dark places. Just as the auxin causes
growth in the stem of a plant to grow, He causes our faith
to grow in the shaded areas of our life. So as the growth
on the shaded side of a plant stem causes the stem to grow
longer than the side of the stem facing the light, the stem
gradually bends toward the light. Just as He uses the
dark and shady times to stretch, grow and test our faith.
As we've walked through those dark areas and times, we
find ourselves bending toward the Light. We've grow
during the shaded side and it has caused the bending of
our hearts, minds and knees toward the Light of our Father.
I'll end with a passage from "Streams in the Desert"
"What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight;
what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the
roofs." Matthew 10:27
"Our Lord is constantly taking us into the dark in order
to tell us something. It may be the darkness of a home
where bereavement has drawn the blinds; the darkness
of a lonely and desolate life, in which some illness has
cut us off from the light and the activity of life; or the
darkness of some crushing sorrow and disappointment."

"Do we know of another who shines brighter than the
most radiant sunlight, who meets us in our room with
the first waking light, who has an infinitely tender and
compassionate watchfulness over us throughout our
day...".

In times when it may seem like we are a seed buried under
the dark cold earth....may we be quick to remember....that's
when we are growing in our faith and drawing nearest to
Him.
I pray that as you awake in the morning that you feel His
presence over you throughout your day.....