Transformations of Nature and Spirit
In looking through
some of the boxes stored in our basement, I came upon a bin of carefully
wrapped gourds, remnants of those we grew in when living in Springville. The
gourds evoked memories of a hobby that began with a frame of a “gourd house”
made from pvc pipe. After Al had constructed the frame, I planted a variety of gourd
seeds in the soil beneath it.
Eventually the
seeds sprouted and grew into long leafy vines that crawled along the poles. During
the early part of the summer, flowers appeared. Then, after being pollinated by
bees and other insects, the flowers died away and the gourd babies began to
form. It was fun watching them mature…so many different shapes and sizes.
As soon as the weather
turned cool and the vines had dried up, they were picked and stored on shelves
in the garage to dry, a process that took a whole year. Then came the hard work
of cleaning, sanding and drilling. It was much more fun imagining what they
could become and then bringing those ideas to fruition.
Rediscovering the
bin of gourds prompted me to ask a sweet friend from church, Chelsea Rose, if
she’d like to paint some of them with me. Chelsea Rose and I had previously spent time visiting,
drawing, walking TJ the dog, praying and talking about the Bible. She even came
over before Christmas to help set up and decorate the Christmas tree!
Chelsea Rose, a
talented artist, was indeed interested in the gourds and took time out of her
busy schedule to spend working on them with me. It was interesting to see her
creativity and imagination unfold as we examined each of the home-grown gourds.
She picked out a medium-sized
one with a thick shell that was an unfinished birdhouse. The seeds had already
been cleaned out and a round entry hole carved on its smooth surface. Two
smaller holes had been drilled on the top for a hanger. Due to our
cross-country move, it hadn’t been finished.
She arranged the
birdhouse and three smaller gourds on the table, envisioning them suspended
from pieces of driftwood to create a mobile. A gourd mobile! I hadn’t thought
of that!
We decided on green, brown and yellow acrylic
paints for the gourds and blue for the perch on the birdhouse. There was just
enough time to put on the first layers of paint and plan the next steps of the
mobile before having to clean up.
This reconfiguration
from gourd to birdhouse to mobile is in a way similar to the transformation God
works in our lives and in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, with our
cooperation. Chelsea Rose can attest to this amazing transformation.
There was a long
period in her life when she struggled with God, feeling like He didn’t care
about her. She felt confused, empty… almost like she had been dropped down into
a deep dark well.
Finally, in her
early thirties, she tested God, challenging Him to lead her to a small church,
similar to the one she had attended as a child. Was there a place where the
members would accept her “checkered past” and still love her?
God answered her prayers when she attended
another small church about two years ago, one where people were loving and
accepting. Now she is reaching to others to share her story and spread His love.
Chelsea Rose
relates to the apostle Peter, who after denying that he knew Jesus three times,
had a very personal encounter with the risen Lord. During that encounter, Jesus
affirmed Peter and called him to “feed His sheep.” Peter became a devoted
follower of Christ and leader of the church. His life was transformed forever.
Like Peter,
Chelsea Rose is pushing on to fulfill the calling God has for her life through
the power of the Holy Spirit. He has given her hope and a new life. In Peter’s
own words, “Praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!”
*1Peter 1:3-5
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