Fertilizer

Earlier, I was laying in my bed and letting my mind wander to wherever it wanted to venture. I started thinking about birth. Ha, spiritual birth mainly but in relation to physical birth. If you know me very well you know that everything surrounding the process, idea, or thought of birth makes me cringe and cover my ears. It was where my mind took me, though, that left me very interested.

Most Christians, and even some non, know the verse when Jesus tells Nicodemus about rebirth, right? It's in John 3:1-5 and it states:

After dark one evening, a Jewish religious leader named Nicodemus, a Pharisee, came to speak with Jesus. "Teacher," he said, "we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are proof enough that God is with you." Jesus replied, "I assure you, unless you are born again, you can never see the Kingdom of God." "What do you mean?" exclaimed Nicodemus. "How can an old man go back into his mother's womb and be born again?" Jesus replied, "The truth is, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives new life from heaven.

What is Jesus truly talking about here? I love LOVE God's use of metaphors throughout Scripture because they are completely packed with little nuggets of information to give insight into the deeper meaning. It's not always good to take some one's metaphor and run with it, making parallels in every way possible, but with God that's exactly what He wants you to do!

Just for a second, think about the birthing process--I know, I'm sorry, but only for a second. Okay, now think deeper about what leads to this actual act of being born. Fertilization has to take place--meaning, someone has to plant that seed in order for it to even have a chance to catch, people aren't asexual... Anyways, once the seed fertilizes the egg it begins to develop into a new life. This newly forming life must be nurtured and cared for along the way in order ensure it's growth. After sufficient growth takes place inside the comfort of the womb, the life is born and grows as a baby.

Now that we have that picture, what does it all mean and how does the rest relate? Picture the womb as the Holy Spirit. The egg being fertilized is the "old person" and the seed is most definitely the Gospel. The Gospel joins with this person in order to develop this new life that springs from old. The Holy Spirit is the only One who can supply the nutrients and protection needed to allow for this process of growth to take place. "Humans can only produce human life, but the Holy Spirit gives new life from heaven."

It is essential that the development within the womb isn't forced or that a premature birth takes place. This must happen naturally under the power of the Holy Spirit or the baby could come out "deformed" so-to-speak and could have much more problems than if he or she was allowed to percolate in the lab.

If you're a Christian, think of yourself as coming into a person's life somewhere in this process. Are you the seed bearer who is to fertilize or are you coming into the process a little further and one who is expected to nurture and support the building of the fetus? So many times, we as Christians get frustrated or disappointed when we don't see results. After all, we are Americans and we're known for our instant results, right?

Too bad. It's not about you.

Your job is to be the tool that God uses in any or all parts of this journey. Who knows, maybe you will have the privilege of seeing the miracle of birth, maybe you won't. Are you up for the challenge?