See As You Are Seen

In Christian spirituality – and in Jewish spirituality – everything created has its beginning in God.

Although a person or relationship may feel “off” or off-putting, that person remains a creation of God. At their core, they remain His original idea. They contain an expression or manifestation of His heart and mind – no matter what their appearance or behavior is telling us.

Christian spiritual writers would refer to the “seed” of each creation. That seed might not be growing well, but the seed at its heart – buried underground – is still packed with potential to grow and produce exotic fruit.

Jesus told the story of a land owner who was tired of a particular fig tree in his vineyard. It had not produced fruit for three years running. When he spoke to the gardener about it, the gardener petitioned him saying:

“Sir, leave it this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. Perhaps it will bear fruit next year…”       – Luke 13:6-8

When family relationships consistently present challenges it is natural to feel too tired for fresh attempts. To rationalize withdrawal when we don't see any fruit.

Sometimes, a family member does indeed need more space in order to flourish. But as steward of our families it is our task to keep hope – to see what no one else has the patience to see.

Alongside the gardener in the parable we crouch down in the dirt, at the feet of the tree, and we study the soil. What does it need? How can we fertilize and aerate it? How do we draw out the fruit we know it is naturally endowed with producing?

When we humble our initial perception, God's Spirit is there to help us to see more clearly what "His desire is that needs doing – on earth, just as it is in His Kingdom."

Seeing our world through God's Spirit is what allows us to function as the stewards we were originally intended to be.