Scarecrows

Alright, here it is, the first actual blog post not related to food or the team. This one is all about what God is teaching me on this adventure in Belgium. And, as always, it isn't neat or tidy.

First, a backstory: Back some months ago in Bible study, we were discussing how to fight the lies that we tend to believe. Lies such as, "I'm not good enough,"; " I have to have it all together before I go to God,"; "[Person's name] is so much better than me and I'll never be that good." There are others, but those are a little to personal for such an impersonal internet. Anyway, one of the ladies had some wise words for us that someone in her life has recently shared with her: Those thoughts [lies] are like birds. They will be fluttering around, but they can't build nests there.

That picture really stuck with me, these destructive thoughts that are trying to camp out where they are unwanted. I think the problem was (or is, when I'm honest) that I was relying too hard on my own strength to clear those birds out of my head. I don't have the time or the energy to fight these birds. There are too many of them and they always come in flocks. I would drive myself nuts if I spent my days fighting them off. But, I like to try and fight them alone. I want to pull myself up by my bootstraps. It's the American way. For whatever reason, those damaging thoughts have been appearing recently on this trip. And they have been trying their hardest to build nests.

Farmers have the same struggle against the birds that attack their crops. They don't have the time or energy to fight those birds. But, they have a tool to fight these birds - scarecrows. I started praying that God would give me a scarecrow of my own. Something to scare these lies out of my head and let the seeds that He has planted grow, safe from those pests, and able to flourish under the skilled, experienced hand of the Gardener. Something lifted up high above the garden that the birds will avoid. Once I finally stopped talking at God and gave Him the opportunity to respond, He did. Ever so gently, He reminded me that He has already given me a scarecrow, but I have been neglecting to trust that the Scarecrow will do His job.

I'll be honest, the first time I compared the picture of a scarecrow to the image of Christ on the cross, I felt a little uncomfortable. I mean, the image I have when someone says, "scarecrow" is the goofy looking guy from The Wizard of Oz. But once I stopped looking at the physical appearance of a scarecrow and started looking at what they do, I felt better. It is comforting to know (and be reminded of the fact) that I don't have to do this thing called life on my own. I am not the Gardener, I am His flower. And flowers are not made to chase birds. Flowers trust that the Gardener will give it what it needs to flourish. Flowers turn their faces toward the sun (or, Son, in my case); flowers send their roots down deep into the good soil for nourishment and to remain safely planted where they have been placed.

I pray that I remember who I am, not who I think I am. I pray that I trust Him and who He has created me to be.  I pray that I turn and look to my Scarecrow every day. I pray that I remember my Scarecrow and what He has done for me. And that I trust in Him to protect me from those pesky birds.