Latest / In His Circle / Seedlings: Keep Striking the Ground | Ep 39

Transcript

Seedlings: Keep Striking the Ground | Ep 39 · In His Circle

• 0:00
  Tiffany Windsor: Welcome to In His Circle Seedlings, where we take a few minutes to plant one small seed of faith that just might grow into something beautiful.
• 0:09
  Tiffany Windsor: I'm Tiffany Windsor and I am so glad you're here.
• 0:13
  Tiffany Windsor: Keep striking the ground.
• 0:16
  Tiffany Windsor: Have you ever been standing in the grocery store?
• 0:19
  Tiffany Windsor: You pick a checkout line, it looks like the fastest one.
• 0:22
  Tiffany Windsor: Five minutes later, every other line has moved, except yours.
• 0:27
  Tiffany Windsor: So what do you do?
• 0:29
  Tiffany Windsor: You switch lines.
• 0:31
  Tiffany Windsor: Of course you do.
• 0:32
  Tiffany Windsor: And the moment you switch, the line you left starts flying.
• 0:36
  Tiffany Windsor: Isn't that always the way?
• 0:38
  Tiffany Windsor: The story of my life.
• 0:39
  Tiffany Windsor: The funny thing is, sometimes I wonder if we do that with God.
• 0:44
  Tiffany Windsor: We stand where he told us to stand until it feels like nothing is happening.
• 0:50
  Tiffany Windsor: Then we're tempted to move right before he was about to move.
• 0:54
  Tiffany Windsor: This morning I was reading in 2 Kings 13.
• 0:58
  Tiffany Windsor: The prophet Elisha told the king to take some arrows and strike the ground.
• 1:03
  Tiffany Windsor: So the king did.
• 1:04
  Tiffany Windsor: One, two, three.
• 1:07
  Tiffany Windsor: Then he stopped.
• 1:08
  Tiffany Windsor: Elisha looked at him and basically said, What are you doing?
• 1:12
  Tiffany Windsor: You should have kept going.
• 1:14
  Tiffany Windsor: Now scripture never tells us why he stopped.
• 1:18
  Tiffany Windsor: Maybe his arm got tired.
• 1:20
  Tiffany Windsor: Maybe he thought, three seems like a nice biblical number.
• 1:24
  Tiffany Windsor: Maybe he thought, This is the weirdest thing I've ever been asked to do.
• 1:28
  Tiffany Windsor: Can you imagine explaining that one?
• 1:31
  Tiffany Windsor: So how was your afternoon?
• 1:33
  Tiffany Windsor: Oh pretty good.
• 1:34
  Tiffany Windsor: Spent it shooting arrows in the dirt.
• 1:37
  Tiffany Windsor: We don't know why he stopped, we only know he stopped too soon.
• 1:42
  Tiffany Windsor: And because he stopped he missed the fullness of what God wanted to do.
• 1:47
  Tiffany Windsor: That story stayed with me all morning.
• 1:50
  Tiffany Windsor: Because I think I've been that king more times than I'd like to admit.
• 1:55
  Tiffany Windsor: Not because God told me to stop, but because I got discouraged or impatient or tired or looked at the numbers.
• 2:04
  Tiffany Windsor: Anybody else?
• 2:06
  Tiffany Windsor: I've written articles that few read.
• 2:09
  Tiffany Windsor: I've recorded podcasts praying for listeners.
• 2:12
  Tiffany Windsor: I've worked on projects for years.
• 2:15
  Tiffany Windsor: Sometimes it feels like you faithfully keep showing up, and you're not even sure anyone noticed.
• 2:22
  Tiffany Windsor: Just crickets.
• 2:24
  Tiffany Windsor: We live in a world that's obsessed with numbers, views, downloads, followers, subscribers, likes, sales.
• 2:32
  Tiffany Windsor: I looked at podcast statistics one day and simply prayed that whoever listened may have desperately needed exactly what God had me say that day.
• 2:42
  Tiffany Windsor: God has never looked at people and seen statistics.
• 2:45
  Tiffany Windsor: Only we do that.
• 2:47
  Tiffany Windsor: Maybe one woman was sitting in her kitchen wondering if she'd ever find her place.
• 2:52
  Tiffany Windsor: Maybe another had just received difficult news.
• 2:56
  Tiffany Windsor: Maybe somebody was sitting in a parking lot, trying not to cry before going inside.
• 3:01
  Tiffany Windsor: Maybe one sentence, one little sentence was enough.
• 3:05
  Tiffany Windsor: I'll probably never know, and maybe I'm not supposed to.
• 3:10
  Tiffany Windsor: That's when another scripture came rushing back to me.
• 3:13
  Tiffany Windsor: Remember when we talked about Second Kings three?
• 3:16
  Tiffany Windsor: God told them, Make this valley full of ditches.
• 3:19
  Tiffany Windsor: There wasn't a cloud in the sky, no rain, no water, just dig.
• 3:25
  Tiffany Windsor: Now here we are a few episodes later, and God says, keep striking the ground.
• 3:30
  Tiffany Windsor: Do you see the connection?
• 3:32
  Tiffany Windsor: Digging takes faith because you can't see the water.
• 3:36
  Tiffany Windsor: Striking takes perseverance because you don't know how many strikes obedience requires.
• 3:42
  Tiffany Windsor: Both ask the same question.
• 3:44
  Tiffany Windsor: Will you trust me before you see the results?
• 3:48
  Tiffany Windsor: Galatians tells us, let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
• 3:56
  Tiffany Windsor: Wouldn't it be nice if God included a calendar?
• 3:59
  Tiffany Windsor: Or at least a sticky note?
• 4:01
  Tiffany Windsor: Tiffany, harvest scheduled for Tuesday around 2.30.
• 4:05
  Tiffany Windsor: But he doesn't.
• 4:07
  Tiffany Windsor: Instead, he says, Trust me.
• 4:09
  Tiffany Windsor: I've realized something.
• 4:11
  Tiffany Windsor: Sometimes I'm asking God, should I quit?
• 4:14
  Tiffany Windsor: When maybe he's asking me, Why did you stop striking?
• 4:18
  Tiffany Windsor: Maybe I don't need a brand new direction.
• 4:21
  Tiffany Windsor: Maybe I need just one more article, one more podcast, one more prayer, one more phone call, one more conversation, one more faithful step.
• 4:33
  Tiffany Windsor: So today, if you're tired, if you're discouraged, if you're wondering whether anything you're doing matters, ask the Lord.
• 4:42
  Tiffany Windsor: If He's truly closing the door, He'll make it clear.
• 4:45
  Tiffany Windsor: But don't stop simply because the results haven't arrived on your timetable.
• 4:50
  Tiffany Windsor: Sometimes God is simply asking us to strike the ground one more time.
• 4:56
  Tiffany Windsor: Before we leave today, let's gather together for our Circle Sister Prayer.
• 5:02
  Tiffany Windsor: Heavenly Father, thank you for reminding us that faithfulness is never wasted.
• 5:08
  Tiffany Windsor: When we grow tired, strengthen us.
• 5:11
  Tiffany Windsor: When we grow discouraged, remind us why we started.
• 5:15
  Tiffany Windsor: Help us keep planting seeds, keep digging ditches, and keep striking the ground wherever you ask us to.
• 5:23
  Tiffany Windsor: Teach us to measure success by obedience instead of numbers, and give us peace as we trust you with the harvest.
• 5:32
  Tiffany Windsor: In Jesus' name, amen.
• 5:34
  Tiffany Windsor: This story today is what I call one of my seedlings: little God moments and little lessons that begin as tiny seeds in my heart and over time grow into stories I get to share with you.
• 5:49
  Tiffany Windsor: If you'd like to connect, leave a comment or share one of your own God moments.
• 5:53
  Tiffany Windsor: I'd love to meet you.
• 5:55
  Tiffany Windsor: Head on over to inhircle.substack.com.
• 5:59
  Tiffany Windsor: You'll find more articles, the In His Circle podcast, and a wonderful community of women growing in faith together.
• 6:08
  Tiffany Windsor: You can join us for free or subscribe for expanded content.
• 6:12
  Tiffany Windsor: And another thought before I wrap up today.
• 6:16
  Tiffany Windsor: If God hasn't told you to stop, don't stop.
• 6:19
  Tiffany Windsor: Write the next page, pray the next prayer, take the next faithful step.
• 6:24
  Tiffany Windsor: Keep opening his word, keep listening for his voice, and keep trusting him with what you cannot yet see.
• 6:32
  Tiffany Windsor: Because we're all learning to walk faithfully one step at a time.
• 6:37
  Tiffany Windsor: I'm Tiffany Windsor and thank you for joining me In His Circle.