Rooted and Established in the Fog

"The tree" continues to capture my attention...and I'm not alone...the analogy of the first "Rooted and Established" post was not lost on some precious Four Sisters Farm blog followers. There is something so satisfying in knowing I am not alone in my affection for the way God shows Himself in creation. If we are watching and/or listening, there is a message for us. Check out Romans 1:20, "For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse."

We recently had some extremely dense fog around the farm and as I drove past "the tree" I was struck again. Pop and I have often found ourselves in two different types of fog in our lives together.

The first type is just like what you see when you look around in fog. Your vision is limited. Things around you are obscured. You feel a need to stay tucked in close to familiar surrounding because what might be in the fog is scary - you could get hurt. When you are drivng, it doesn't matter how bright your headlights are, you can't see well and neither can a driver coming toward you. It is unnerving to be in a place where you can't see what is ahead of you. Sometimes the right thing is to stay in and sometimes the right thing is get out and navigate as best you can while trusting that everything will be okay. You want to be careful and to move slowly. (2 Corinthians 5:7 "For we live by faith, not by sight.")

Pop is a man who carefully considers options and thinks things through to their "logical conclusion." I am more spontaneous and likely to act out of emotion. We're a pretty good combo really...we've learned to listen to one another and I've learned a lot from Pop about thinking things through. He can be spontaneous too (much to my delight), but even when we do something crazy (like mudding with the go kart), he is safe. I love that about him!

The second kind of F.O.G. is what we call the "Favor Of God." We first heard this phrase when we were preparing to move to Charleston, SC in 2005. After several years of waiting and watching God brought about the creation of the training academy where Pop would be a teacher and trainer of people who work in his field (and I don't mean the field at Four Sisters Farm). Looking back, we see very clearly that we have often been in this kind of F.O.G. even when we didn't recognize it. It is God Who gives us favor with men at times - maybe it is a job we really want, a move we hope to make, a house we would like to buy - you get the picture. If we are alert to God's movement in our lives, we see Him move on our behalf...opening doors, closing doors, bringing people and opportunities into our lives. It is a wonderful F.O.G. in which to be!

Proverbs 3:3-4 says, "Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man."

I hope that when you see fog in the future, you will be seeking God and asking for His favor as He directs your steps. He loves His children and wants only good for them (even when we can't see or feel it). Now that is good stuff!