The greenhouse

The greenhouse is a wonderful place. It’s climate-controlled, light-controlled, and safe from predators. Plants that start in the greenhouse can grow at a rapid rate and without the blemishes or scars of bugs and feet. However, no plant is meant to remain in the greenhouse.

Nor am I meant to remain in the greenhouse.

The greenhouse of the past 24 years of my life has been wonderfully rich. My family, my church, and my community have offered shelter, opportunity for accelerated growth, and the nutrients that I’ve needed to grow spiritually. I have escaped the damage and scars that many people face.  Fear, insecurity, loneliness, and relational difficulty have generally been outside the scope of my life.

I am not, however, immune to fear, insecurity, loneliness, or relational challenges. I only have yet to face them in a real way.  In the greenhouse I am appreciated for my fruit, for my helpfulness to others, and for my own growth.

We see in Philippians 2 that Jesus was willing to renounce his immunity and come to earth, where He would be exposed to all of these things that weren’t part of His heavenly existence. He did it so that He could fully identify with our situation. He prayed through the battles of fear and loneliness. He spoke the Truth of the Word of God when He was faced with temptation from the enemy.

Am I willing to lay down my “immunities” and leave the greenhouse? The question is not “am I ready?” because I have been trained and taught how to respond to life’s circumstances. The real question is, “Am I willing?”

I’m leaving the greenhouse. Whether I’m willing to lay down my immunities or not, I’m leaving. Oh, how rich it is to know that the Master Gardener is no less present outside of the greenhouse than He is inside.  I am willing, as long as He is by my side. Ready and willing.