July 12th, 2023: Spiritual Hail Storms

Growing vegetables in my home city can be a discouraging experience due to an increase in hail storms in recent years. It doesn't take long for our garden to suffer damage, and our hopes for a bountiful harvest of peas, zucchini, and tomatoes have been dashed.

Living a Christian life bears similarities to this gardening experience. Just as one significant moral failure can devastate the progress made in developing a spiritual life, hailstorms of human brokenness can be both loud and vicious or subtle and destructive. Regardless of their intensity, the aftermath leaves broken lives as the unfortunate common outcome.

In Alberta, we have learned to accept that hailstorms are common and have adapted by taking precautions to shield our vegetables from their damaging effects. Similarly, acknowledging the reality of human sin can serve as a reality check for us. We must ask ourselves: What can we do to protect ourselves from the cunning temptation of sin? Do we know how to discern our spiritual condition and understand the spiritual climates of our nations, so that we can prepare for potential downpours of confusion and loss?

Just as we fortify our gardens against hailstorms, we should fortify ourselves against the allure of sin. This requires cultivating an intimate relationship with God, being rooted in prayer and Scripture, and surrounding ourselves with a honest fellowship of believers. By regularly examining our hearts and seeking God's guidance, we can discern our spiritual condition and develop the discernment so we can navigate the challenges of a broken world.

Ephesians 6: 10-18