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The term “green thumb” does not apply to me. Many plants that were “impossible to kill” have died on my watch. I love plants. The idea of planting something new and watching it grow is exciting to me. But so often they seem to die. I have pruned some which seems to help. I have pulled more than I would like to admit. I cannot leave my garden unattended for long. Weeds grow everywhere. Old plants I pulled up and thought were long gone have suddenly begin to grow again around my new ones. It is a never ending job.

I often look at my neighbors perfectly manicured garden and wish mine would look the same. It falls short. It seems like no matter how hard I try, how much I google, how many plant experts I talk to, my garden, by comparison, falls short.

They key phrase is “by comparison.” Comparison is a thief. It steals joy. The truth is my garden has come a long way. Last spring my husband and I pulled the whole thing up and started over. Compared to what was, My garden is beautiful. But even though I thought I pulled all the old plants up, they still seem to resurface. Sometimes the new plants start to show signs of death. I cut those parts off, water the plants, and sometimes have to add new soil. I have to tend to my garden.

What is growing in your garden? Have you checked it lately? Are any past hurts, insecurities, or wounds resurfacing in how you react and handle new situations? Have you tended to it, pruned it, or just pulled up the dead things?

I had noticed lately that I had become somewhat irritable. I had become easily offended. I distanced myself, and often times remained silent. I had not spent the time I used to in the Word. Life and all of its distractions had taken root in my garden. When opportunities to become offended or irritated surfaced, I took the bait. I was becoming ineffective. The old things resurfaced because the roots are still very much alive. Only God can pull them, and I have to let Him.

A few days ago I was looking at my plants. I have two potted plants on my culverts that were struggling. My husband suggested throwing them out and starting over. I replied, “No, there is still life there. They just need to be pruned.” As I begin cutting away the dead, I saw all the green below. As He so often does, the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart. There is still life there. I’m not finished with you yet. You just need to be pruned. Will you let me prune you?

In order to move forward with new birth we have to let go of the old. It isn’t enough to deal with the old on the surface; we have to get to the root of the matter. This takes time. We may think we got it all out, and then a sprout rears its head. We pull that, and it happens again. If left unattended, it will take over that area where new growth has already begun. We have to deal with the root. God wants and needs us to deal with the root of the matter.

No matter what happened in the past, or how painful it may be, let Him prune your garden. Let Him make room for new growth. He is not finished with you yet.

Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. John 15:2-6

“Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the LORD, who had spoken to her. She said, ‘You are the God who sees me’.” Genesis 16:13, NLT

God told Abram (Abraham) he would have a son, but his wife, Sarai (Sarah) was barren. She decided to give Abram her servant Hagar as a wife so she could give him a son. Hagar became pregnant, and despised Sarai. She had no choice in the matter. Sarai then began to deal harshly with Hagar. Hagar was visited by an angel of the Lord while she was at a well. He told her she would also give birth to a great nation, and that God has seen her affliction. She called him Adonai El Roi, the God who sees me.

We live in difficult times. It is hard to ignore what is happening in the world around you, and even harder when you are facing difficult times in your personal life. He sees you.

To the woman who feels alone, who had her life mapped out perfectly, but her heart has been broken…

Friend, the road of rejection is a hard, lonely one to walk. One day you will be able to look back and see you did not walk this road alone. You will see how His hand was upon your life (Romans 8:28). The sun always rises, and I know from experience that God uses our pain to give birth to something new. He allowed me to go through some tough times, but they ended with some of my greatest blessings. This is just a season, and seasons change. You are not alone. He hears your prayers and stores your tears (Psalm 56:8). He sees you.

To the wife who strives to be enough, but feels inadequate…

He made you in His image (Genesis 1:26) and He loves you just the way you are. He makes no mistakes. Comparison is the greatest lie the enemy uses to make you ineffective. You are who He says you are, and you are His. Be who He made you to be and embrace it! We live in a social media world where everyone tries to be like someone else. Be an imitator of Christ instead (1 Corinthians 11:1). Seek His face to see yourself through His eyes, because He sees you.

To the woman who had the picture perfect life, but then he left you…

Jesus is close to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18). You were faithful, but your husband was not. You feel as though the life you knew and the future you planned are shattered into a million pieces. It is not your fault. His choice does not determine your future. Jesus makes all things new (Revelations 21:5). He will restore you, and when everyone else fails you, He is faithful. He will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). He will give you beauty for these ashes (Isaiah 61:3). He sees you.

To the young mom, who feels drained and tired…

I remember being here, too tired to sleep or take care of myself. I loved my babies but was tired. I needed a moment to breathe. I felt guilty for feeling that way. I wondered what my purpose was. My children became my identity, but they are only little for a season. Mama, God has a plan and a purpose for you. Right now, your ministry assignment is to raise these babies to serve Him and be successful in this life. Your biggest accomplishment that will leave a mark on this world is who you are raising. Take heart, and know that the joy of the Lord is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10). He is for you, and gave those babies to you because you have the treasures their little hearts need tucked away in the rooms of your heart. He is with you in those daily mundane tasks. He will meet you at the well, or in this case, the sink full of dishes. He sees you.

To the woman who has regret, who wishes she could undo some things in her past…

Where sin increased, God’s grace [His unmerited favor] has surpassed it and increased all the more (Romans 5:20). The Samaritan woman was also met by Jesus at Jacob’s well in John 4. This meeting was no accident. She had five husbands, and was living with a man who she was not married to. He told her what she had done, but offered her living water, and revealed Himself. Repentance brings change. She believed. He changed her reputation, and others followed her to see the Messiah and believed. God can turn your mistakes into a message that will draw others to Him. He is rewriting your story. Walk in the grace you have been given, knowing you have been redeemed. All have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God. (Romans 3:23) He sees you.

To the woman who worries at night and cries out to God for her children…

Dedicating or Christening our children to the Lord when they are young is so much more than just a ritual practice. It is a Biblical one (1 Samuel 1:27-28). When we do this, we are saying, “Lord, you have given me the gift of being their mother, but they were created for your purpose. I am acknowledging that they are yours, and that I trust you with their lives. Your will be done.” It is not too late to dedicate them to God. He loves our children more than we ever can or will. He gave His life for them. Trust Him (Proverbs 3:5). He alone can heal, save, and rescue. He has them and He has you in the palm of His hand (Isaiah 49:25). He hears the cries of your heart, just as he heard the cries of so many mama’s before you (Psalm 145:19). He sees your children. He is in control. Trust Him completely, and know that He sees your heart. Be at peace (Isaiah 26:3). He sees you.

To the woman who has lived a life well lived, who enjoys the fruits of her labor…

He sees you, but so do we. The women who are walking the roads you already have are looking for wisdom from you (Titus 2:3-5). Share your story. As long as you are living, God is not done with you. We need you, and He sees you.

When life is hard, and when it is not, He sees you. When you laugh, when you cry, when the pain is unbearable… He sees you. In every season, and every circumstance, He is Adonai El Roi, The God you sees you.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways”, says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the Earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:8-9

I was at a local store buying dinner with my kids. They of course were acting up, as they often do after being at school all day. My son asked to play a game on my phone. I looked down at him, and said, “I love you, but no.”

The man fixing our sides for dinner (Rotisserie chicken dinner – mom win!) said, “Great answer.” I smiled and went on my way. Later on as I got in the car, I felt the Holy Spirit begin speaking to my heart. So many times we ask God for things. We beg Him. We plead as if we know what is best for us more than He does. And He will quietly and gently say, “I love you, but no.”

I could have let my son have my phone. In fact, it probably would have made my shopping experience a whole lot easier. But I knew he didn’t need it. I knew he could drop it, break it, or come across something online he shouldn’t see. I knew that more than likely he would look up Bad Lip Reading videos with his sister (annoyingly catchy by the way). So I said no. My no, however, did not stop him from repeatedly asking again later.

How many times do we do this with God? “Lord, can I date him? Can I have this job? This part? Can you hurry up? Can I have an answer now? A mate now? Anything now?! And again we hear, “ I love you, but no.” How many times do we beg, arguing that we know better, trying to convince God that our timing is perfect?

If we beg long enough, He may give us what we ask for. But what if it is not all He has? What if it is not the best? What if we get and Ishmael instead of an Isaac, a burden instead of a promise?

I believe there are things in life that happen to us that do not have to happen. They happen because of our choices. They happen because of rebellion. They happen because we want our way instead of God’s. They happen because we confuse our will with God’s will. The two are very different. But because we want it so bad, we change the “No” to “Not right now.” And we keep on begging.

What if we accepted the “no” and learned to trust God in all things? How many trials would we be saved from? How many hardships would we escape?

When God says no, it’s because He has a better plan. It is because He sees what we do not see. It is because He has a bigger plan. “I love you, but no” is actually a positive thing. Because He has something greater in store.

Do you hear it? That still, small voice, the tugging on your heart? You know that God has a plan and a purpose for your life. You feel it in your heart. But you feel so overwhelmed. Life is hard. It pulls as us in every direction, fighting for our attention, our affection, and our energy. Our minds can become so distracted. We can get so overcome with worry and fear. And this is exactly where the enemy wants you. Here you are ineffective, and you are distracted.

I can feel so alone at times. I look at the world, and the current state of things around me. My heart becomes burdened. I know there is a purpose and a plan, but who am I? What can I do about it? There seem to be so many against the things of the Spirit.

Elijah felt the same way. God had moved in miraculous ways through him. He saw firsthand the power of the living God. He saw fire rain down from heaven (1 Kings 18). But when Jezebel threatened to take his life, he ran. he was overcome with fear. He went into the wilderness alone. The Lord spoke to him and said, “Why are you here, Elijah?” He said, ” I have been very zealous for the Lord, Lord of Hosts, for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, thrown down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword, and I alone am left, and they seek to take my life,” So Elijah stood before the Lord. The Lord wasn’t in the wind, or the earthquake, or the fire, but Elijah heard a still, small voice (1 Kings 19:12). Again, the Lord asks, “Why are you here, Elijah?”

God sees everything going on around us. He knows the army that is against the daughters of God all too well. He has defeated this army many times. But the question he is asking us is, “Why are you here? Why are you scared to speak? Why are you quiet? Why do you let the spirit of the age silence you?”

The Lord tells Elijah to go back. And he gives him a job to do. Elijah was to go anoint two kings and also a prophet to take his place. He was called to go equip others to step into their destiny. It is usually in the low and impossible places that God calls up to step out in faith. In these low points and difficult times He is stretching us. He is calling you to fulfill an assignment.

The wilderness felt very lonely to Elijah. But the Lord sustained him. He was not alone. The wilderness is a lonely place. It seems like everyone is actively against you, against what you stand for. It is easier to be quiet. It is easy to stay in the cave. Jezebel represents the spirit of the age. This spirit tries to silence us, to quiet us, to belittle us, to mock us, to distort the truth. It challenges us to speak out against it. It dares us to disagree. We question ourselves. Who am I to fight this?

God tells Elijah in 1 Kings 19:18…”I have preserved seven thousand men in Israel for myself, all of whose knees have not bowed to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.” Elijah was not alone. There is a remnant of women, daughters of the King, that He has preserved for Himself. They have not compromised their faith. They have not sold their birthright or their talents for fame or recognition. These women have not bowed to the spirit of the age. They have rejected this feminist movement that has even began to infiltrate the church. They have recognized that God alone is in control, and that He alone is God.

They see what is happening in the world around them. They feel surrounded, but they know that the army behind them is greater than the army they are up against. They wear the armor of God, they have been training, and they are waiting for the spirit of Elijah to pass by and place the cloak, the anointing onto them, to set them on their course. They are ready to be world changers and fulfill their purpose.

It is time to awake remnant, daughters of the Most High God! It is time to equip others, to come out of the caves, and to empower others to do the same.

We will not bow. We will not compromise. We will remain UNSHAKEN.

Isaiah 43:19

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?

I was gifted a journal for Christmas that I absolutely love titled When Women Say Yes to God by Lisa Terkeurst. Whenever I open it, God speaks to me about what I am going through. The main theme is radical obedience.

Obedience is not always an easy thing, but it should be.

I have to be honest…I am more of a procrastinator. It is something I really am working to change. I can come up with so many reasons why I should not do something, or how I am just not qualified to do it. This is one of those things. I was supposed to start writing this blog a long time ago. I have notebooks full of things God has shown me, but I have been so afraid to step out of my comfort zone and be transparent.

But that is what God calls us to do. He calls us to do bigger things, not for ourselves, but to glorify Him. He calls us to radical obedience.

This is my act of radical obedience. I pray that God uses the words here to empower and inspire you to step out in radical obedience, and do whatever it is God is calling you to do.

You truly never know what is on the other side of your obedience.

KT