Potential in the Process

Great things start in seed form. A mighty oak begins with a seed. A magnificent tree doesn’t sprout overnight. However, stored within something so vulnerable as a seed… potential. The seed is so powerful and vulnerable all at once. If given the right process and conditions for growth, it will become something almost impossibly beautiful. We know the whole story when it comes to seeds. If I want an apple tree, I expect that in purchasing the seed, providing the right environment and allowing the process I will get the full potential packed in that tiny seed.

There is a fascinating process required that cannot be rushed or altered. The seed must be planted. It must be unseen. It must be buried in a dark place. Only after this planting and proper care can it sprout and burst out of the seemingly confining space of the soil.

The seed doesn’t have the option of complaining about the road it must take to get to it’s fullest potential. It can’t argue, feel sorry for itself or share with the world how much it hurts to be buried….

I wonder though, do we do this?

We wonder why we’re hidden instead of ‘looking’ mighty. Why am I in the dark, it feels like I’m dying here and no one knows!

Let me switch gears and bring to mind another miracle I’m certain we all will readily celebrate. Conception of new life! A spark and a living, breathing human is created by God. It’s a celebration, an announcement. One of the purest joys. The expectant mother and family wait with confidence the birth of a new and cherished baby.

We don’t see what’s happening in the dark of the mothers womb. Modern advances have certainly given us a wonderful idea and view. Yet still it really remains a miraculous mystery doesn’t it? How the Lord, our Creator, ‘knits us together in our mothers womb’. This precious life may be hidden to the world but certainly not to the Lord. He says ‘your frame was not hidden from me’.

We would never consider rushing this hidden process or taking action to get the baby out ahead of the appointed and healthy time. We know that hidden in the womb is safety, development and growth necessary for life ‘on the outside’.

Let’s get back to our seed again. A farmer who keeps digging up his seed to check on it won’t have a crop. Same goes for my delicious apple tree that I want. I must trust that underneath the surface, in the dark unknown… something miraculous is happening.

So what does this mean in our lives? We live in a world of instant results and gratification. It seems we invite any and all outsiders into a process that might need to be hidden for maximum results. Think about the dearest memories you share with someone special.. I’ll bet what makes them special is their exclusivity. No one else needs to know, but you know. You know what they meant to you in a dark season or a growing season of life. Sometimes the Lord uses dear relationships for this… but I will guarantee you, the LORD is one hundred percent reliable to be in every hidden time of your life. He is the One who meets us in the quiet and sometimes chaotic corners of our souls. Don’t share with an undeserving audience what God is still developing in you.

There will be a time, I promise you. When the light will shine through. When you will be ready to burst through the dark soil that you thought was holding you back.. but it was really protecting you. God was protecting the vulnerable seed and preparing it for it’s purpose!
My most precious memories with the Lord are the ones no one will ever hear about. They were in the dark room, where the pictures needed to stay and be processed to actually be beautiful. The Lord has met me in the dark. He never once rushed, even though I wanted to. He stayed right in the mess and the muck with me. Working in me beauty from pain, and strengthening me for the road ahead.

Human nature shies away from process… pain… hidden work…. We sell ourselves short if we despise these hidden times. When we invite the Lord into the process He reminds us that there is potential in the vulnerable seed and life being developed in obscurity.

Don’t rush or resent the hidden process. The strength you crave is being developed under the soil. You will burst forth, freer than you ever thought was possible! Ready to be all God created you to be.

There’s a song we all know, and it moves us when we sing it. It connects with our hearts and souls on a different level… because we all face this many times in our lives. A hidden, dark, painful… and yet glorious process. If you’re right in the middle of that space right now. That hidden, lonely, unknown… You are not forgotten. You are not alone. Maybe you’re just planted… and the Lord is working in you, unlocking the potential that can only be developed in the dirt. Lean in and trust the Faithful One to complete every good thing He has started.

“… even when I don’t see it, You’re working. Even when I don’t feel it. You’re working.”

Psalm 66:10 and 12 (TPT)
O Lord, we have passed through your fire; like precious metal made pure, you’ve proved us, perfected us, and made us holy.
… we’ve passed through fire and flood, yet in the end you always bring us out better than we were before, saturated with your goodness.

Remember, wherever you are. God is unlocking potential wherever you find yourself in the process…

Blessings,

Melody