keep growing

Sometimes God moves and it's obvious. Sometimes He heals people in a moment and they're not the same. There is proof that He was at work. Yesterday at church, a friend with heart trouble suddenly felt faint--he couldn't stand up and he was white as paper and sweating buckets (aaaand Arisa couldn't find his pulse for a while--when she did it was very weak). His wife said it was what happened the last time he had a heart attack. They both looked (understandably) scared. A group of us prayed for him outside and sent him to the emergency room. Before he left, his color started returning and there was NOTHING that showed up on his labs. The MD said it must have just been from locking his knees when standing up.

It could have been from locking his knees.... But seriously. God touched him.

So these things do happen. God moves.

And then sometimes He moves in a different way. He helps us outgrow something. That takes time. Sometimes lots of time.

It's like planting an oak tree. Let's say a sidewalk was poured near the tree. It may take (a lot of) time, but eventually, that tree's roots will outgrow the sidewalk. Eventually those roots will grow so big and unbending that they will crumble and overturn and displace the concrete. A little oak tree can grow and overcome something as unyielding as an asphalt road or concrete that it meant to handle pound after pound after pound of pressure.

I know I wasn't using a fruit-bearing tree analogy--but this also means that we can bear fruit while we are waiting on our freedom. Just because it doesn't happen suddenly doesn't mean it won't happen or isn't happening.