“It may be that you are planted where you get only a little [sunshine], but you are put there by the loving Farmer because only in that situation will you produce fruit unto perfection. Remember this: If any other condition had been better for you than the one in which you are, divine love would have put you there. You are placed by God in the most suitable circumstances, and if you could choose your lot, you would soon cry, ‘Lord, choose my heritage for me, for by my self-will I am pierced through with many sorrows.’ Be content with the things you have, since the Lord has ordered all things for your good. Take up your own daily cross; it is the burden best suited for your shoulder and will prove most effective to make you perfect in every good word and work to the glory of God.”
— Charles H. Spurgeon*
“I’m pretty sure that this is the longest I’ve ever lived in one home,” my husband mused the other day. “Really?” I said. Our eight-and-a-half years here feels, so often, like a blink rather than a substantially long season. As I thought about it, I realized that I, too, had not lived in one home longer than seven years at most, all through my childhood and early adulthood.
We looked at each other, grace flooding into that moment. So many days of this season have simply felt like surviving, just trying to get through as wholly as possible, with as much kindness toward ourselves and our children as possible. And yet, here we were, solidly more rooted in one place than either of us had been before, and we embraced the reality like a gift.
How had this rootedness snuck up on us? In some ways, when living overseas, it is difficult to ever truly feel rooted because we know we could have to leave at any time, for any number of reasons. There were the visa uncertainties of 2019, the political unrest in 2021. In both of those situations, we contemplated our next season, if we must move. But God, in his sovereignty, resolved both scenarios and enabled our family to continue living and working here.
The quote by Charles Spurgeon is one I copied out long before we made our move overseas, and it’s one that has anchored my heart back to truth on many occasions. A few theological reflections on how God cares for us as we slowly do the hard work of growing roots in a place:
God has done the planting // We may find ourselves in places where we find little sunshine, and that may be a struggle. But whatever the weather of our season, we can hold fast knowing that God is the one who has planted us in our places. Gratefully, if we had to choose apart from Christ, we would undoubtedly suffer from the weight of our own responsibility. In this case, we can gratefully accept what God has given, trusting full responsibility to him for guiding our steps.
God, in his divine love, has put us in perfect places // You may be looking around, thinking, This, here, is a perfect place for me? I hear you, and I, too, have had many days of doubting. But it stands to reason, logically, that if we give God responsibility for planting us in a place, then we can trust that he has put us in appropriate situations for our ultimate growth. Likely, if you’re like me, so much of this growth has come from realizing anew your ultimate dependence upon Christ. Perhaps that’s part of his purpose for you too.
We can be content where God has planted us // Regardless of how we feel about our situation right now, it is possible to come to a place of contentment in Christ, particularly once we have embraced the above truths. Choosing to be content doesn’t negate the challenges of life right now, but it reframes our perspective. I have found the practice of gratitude to be the most helpful spiritual posture for building contentment.
Our burdens are to be expected and growth-building // There is a lie that is easy to believe, and it’s this: I can be content once my life is sorted, free of burdens, ideal. This is an anti-Scriptural statement, however, it’s one of the best I’ve seen. God, repeatedly in his Word, teaches us that hardships, sorrows, and all forms of suffering are part of life in this broken world, and they can, indeed, lead to growth if we allow them to. If we can see our lives and situations as inevitably filled with various burdens, and lean into trusting Christ through all of those, there is so much potential for growth.
It’s worth remembering that growth doesn’t happen in only one direction; for every inch of vertical growth a plant experiences, its roots are penetrating that much deeper into the soil. So too, as we experience vertical spiritual growth, we strengthen our roots, both in Christ and in the places he has planted us.
What a beautiful reality! Soak up the gifts of your current situation: turn your face toward the sun and the Son, and let him shower you with all you need to grow as you hold fast to him.
How have you seen God grow you in a challenging place or season?
*Spurgeon, Charles H. Morning and Evening. ed. Alistair Begg. (Wheaton: Crossway, 2003). November 11.
6 Responses
Great writing, thanks for your beautiful insight! May the Lord bless you and your family and continue to produce fruit where you are.
Thanks so much, Malia. <3 May the Lord bless you as well in the place you're in!
Beautiful! Thanks for sharing this.
Thanks, Hannah, I’m so glad to be able to share.
I really like this: ‘growth doesn’t happen in only one direction; for every inch of vertical growth a plant experiences, its roots are penetrating that much deeper into the soil.’ it expresses something I think we don’t always ‘see’ in our lives.
Definitely been my experience in reflecting on recent tough tough times to feel that God is at work in that root growth. But previous times I didn’t see it at all but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t there?
Thanks for your comment, Ellie – yes I’m with you! Growth, maybe especially root growth (?) can be so difficult to bear witness to – and yet God is gracious to show us how he is working at times. Such an exercise of faith!