Simply Add Water

Grass 0. Fire and Brimstone 1.

I once had neighbors who were dying for grass in their backyard which, quite frankly, had none. It consisted of dirt because of the way the rain fell on the inclined land, but I’ll save you from the boring landscaping details. They spent hundreds of dollars and countless hours of labor to make grass grow and sometimes I would just sit and wonder how they never grew tired of this. Why would you put so much effort into something that’s supposed to grow organically? Yes, I won’t lie: grass is beautiful when green and full; however, it’s meant to be a natural plant. When grass insists on growing on the cracks of the street or around your flowers, it does it so easily. And when it doesn’t grow, it remains stubborn and hidden due to whatever combination of reasons.

Sometimes I think God refuses to grow grass in my spiritual life in just that way. I make things hard on myself, and I’m determined to make it grow. But it simply won’t. And so I try even harder. On the other hand, the times where God does allow the grass to grow, He also allows flowers to bloom and sweet fruit to grow by the basketful as well. His will and His blessings come easy and feel right. That peace we all crave from the Holy Spirit is present. All I had to do was show up and ‘water’ the land. So how come sometimes I’m stuck in a barren place while other times the fruits are handed to me on what felt like a golden platter?

“When we pray, we talk to God. When we read, God talks to us” ~St. Isidore of Seville

It’s about being in close communion with God in prayer and readings (Yes, I know. Your favorite Sunday School answer). When I think about Lot determining what land he wanted to settle in, he “pitched his tent even as far as Sodom. But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord.”¹ I would think Sodom and Gomorrah would be a huge no. It was an evil place filled with wicked people and bad influences. Surely this was known to Abraham and Lot; it couldn’t have been concealed. And while some red flags are much brighter than others, Lot still thought he could grow grass there despite the fact that the other land before Sodom was described as perfect: “And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the Lord.”² We know Lot was not able to be fruitful in Sodom as he was taken captive and saved by Abraham. And once again, after God spoke to Abraham about saving the city with a slowly decreasing number of righteous men, two angels saved Lot and his family from perishing. Shortly after they fled, fire and brimstone poured on the city. I am no expert, but I don’t think grass can grow under those conditions…

Abraham, who prioritized God first in all things, was in such close communion with Him that He couldn’t keep from him what he intended to do to Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham was able to vouch for the city and save all those who were righteous, showing how God’s love and mercy increased as he decreased the number of righteous in order to save the wicked place. All Abraham did was heeded God’s promise:

“Get out of your country,

From your family

And from your father’s house,

To a land that I will show you.

I will make you a great nation;

I will bless you

And make your name great;

And you shall be a blessing.

I will bless those who bless you,

And I will curse him who curses you;

And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”³

I’ll admit he did make mistakes on the way, but God in His mercy saw Abraham’s greater efforts to follow Him and forgave him, over and over again, as He does with me and you. So when you try to plan your next steps and reap fruit, ask yourself: is this the right place for it? More importantly, ask the Holy Spirit to guide you to a cultivated place. Find a support system that you can lean on when the work becomes difficult, unlike Lot’s family who didn’t see the danger in Sodom and his own wife who was unfortunately tempted by it, looked back, and became a pillar of salt. Upon asking God for the wisdom to discern where you should work, He will guide and do the hard part. In this process of finding where you need to be, always be grateful:

Though the fig tree may not blossom,

Nor fruit be on the vines;

Though the labor of the olive may fail,

And the fields yield no food;

Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,

And there be no herd in the stalls —

Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,

I will joy in the God of my salvation.

The Lord God is my strength;

He will make my feet like deer’s feet,

And He will make me walk on my high hills.⁴

Faith as of Habakkuk’s will keep you in communion with God and lead you. Trust He is always working and planning good for you, even though you may not see it. Abraham went to the top of a mountain to sacrifice his only son Isaac because God asked him, even though I am sure he wondered and worried asking himself, how could I slay my only son, but how could I disobey God who has protected me and led me this far? And as we know, there an Angel of the Lord stopped him and Abraham offered a nearby ram. He learned a great lesson and named the place “The-Lord-Will-Provide.”⁵ Even when it made little sense for Abraham to be a father of many nations and to kill and offer his only son, God swore “blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”⁶

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[1]: Gen. 13:12–13

[2]: Gen. 13:10

[3]: Gen. 12:1–3

[4]: Hab. 3:17–19

[5]: Gen. 22:14

[6]: Gen. 22:17–18