Friends, it’s a pleasure to introduce you to my friend, Lisa Hains. Lisa and I met in a small writing circle within our larger Hope Writers Community, and I was instantly struck by her tender heart for Jesus and the deep desire to share that love with others. Enjoy her thoughts on the meaning and truth behind what “consolation” we have in Christ: 

By Lisa Hains

Several weeks ago, a local farm advertised a clever side venture: they invited folks to come and enjoy a taste of the country while strolling through the beauty of their sunflower field – and charging admission rates for it! It seemed like a clever income stream idea for the farmer. 

And for this country girl – now living in the city – it sounded like a peaceful and pretty idea; at least, I hoped it would be peaceful. So, I packed some art supplies and a folding chair and drove off to find the farm. And I couldn’t miss it!

It was beautiful! The golden-hued sunflowers, with their sparkly personalities just asking  

to be noticed, were planted shoulder-to-shoulder, filling the large field! They offered so much by way of embodied sunshine—as if each petal had captured the colour of the sun itself, personally, and was happy to radiate that glory right back to anyone who’d glance their way! I was glad I’d decided to visit those happy flowers! 

And the young woman sitting near the edge of the field, waiting for visitors, was happy to take my admission fee. It was then that she pointed me toward an opening, the spot I could enter the field, where trails had been cut through the flowers. Yes—I said “cut”!  

You see, the field had been seeded in the spring, and when the young plants started to grow, they continued to happily thrive…until they came into flower. And that’s when the farmer took his mower to the sunflowers! In the process of cutting wide trails through the field for the visitors to walk—he had actually chosen to cut down a portion of his healthy sunflower crop! 

What?! When I saw the cut and fallen stalks, with their leaves and flower petals wilting, I was horrified! Each one of them was supposed to be part of the season’s harvest too—but that could never happen after they were mown down! It seemed like such a waste and such a loss. Surely cutting down the sunflowers wasn’t the only way to accommodate the visitors! How about just spacing some of the rows further apart to create walking trails, instead, without all the destruction?! 

Now, I understand that the farmer was still banking on a harvest income from the still-standing sunflower heads. But in truth, the question was: would he generate enough admission fees to compensate for the large loss he’d created by destroying a portion of his harvest? There was only one young family of four there at the field when I arrived, and no one came after me before the field was closed down for the night. Five. Only five people had come who’d paid admission to that field! 

I can’t help but wonder, as that farmer mowed down his strong and healthy plants so close to harvest time, would there have been a niggling of worry and anxiety in his mind? Was he hoping against hope that there’d be enough visitors to compensate for the destruction he was causing? Would it be worth the cost? Would he end up gaining—or losing? Did he wonder whether there would be too much rain or cold, inclement weather to keep potential visitors away? As the mower continued to hack down his crop, did he question if their sunflower-field-adventure advertising would be able to reach enough potential customers? Well, you get my point…there were a lot of factors with the power to destroy the farmer’s hopes of making a good income from visitors to his field—and if those negative factors played out—well then, how would he be consoled after the destruction he’d personally caused to his own crop? 

And as I considered the risky choice the farmer made, I couldn’t help but see there’s a parallel here— personally—right in my own soul! And maybe it’s the same for you too? 

Because…  

…sometimes we can make unwise or unspiritual choices…hoping that in the end,  everything will be fine—when truthfully, it’s really easy to create a bad ending! See if you  agree: 

While the farmer’s actions may have been setting him up for future pain and disappointment, where he’d be needing consolation, it made me wonder. Am I guilty of creating messy situations that I need rescue, refuge, and comfort from, too, as offered in our text from Hebrews 6:18, 

“…we might have strong consolation; who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us”. 

This text implies that plenty of things happen in our lives that bring us heartache—or grief—or pain—or disappointment! Things that make us run to the LORD for cover and comfort! And it is so vital to realize that even when we have messed up, He wants to be right here for us!  

Sometimes, those painful things in life are out of our control! But the disturbing truth is that there are times when we ourselves choose to sin—and that’s when our pain is self-inflicted! That always takes us down a pathway we don’t want to be on! And the consequences? Oh—they can be alarming,  frightening, or heart-breaking—and the condition we’ve created for ourselves has our souls crying out for strong consolation! My sin, and yours, will always cause the Lord pain—and also bring pain to ourselves, for sure and certain!  

Why do we do that?

Can we talk openly about our sins for a moment? 

🙙 We can have the best of intentions to walk with the Lord, but honestly, dear one, we need to beware! Because in the crazy-busy-ness that we call life, we’re also having to navigate a minefield laced with distractions and deceits, confusion and self-doubt, over-commitment (even to good things!),  stressors and taxing fatigue—and it all takes such a toll! That’s why so often our time for the Lord takes a hit…and our closeness to Him begins to cool. Though we’d never mean for this to happen, other things call so much louder for our attention and time, crowding out time for Him!

🙙 Yet the LORD doesn’t push His way into our lives. He waits quietly for us!  

🙙 And although the evidence of His power and love and provisions surrounds us—everywhere—we might take those things for granted and brush them to the side! And maybe we also brush aside gratitude and appreciation for His goodness and all those wonderful blessings—because—we’re in the middle of a current time crunch—or crisis! YES!—we feel immense pressure and tension—and, oh, so much responsibility! In that state, we feel that we can only manage to “show up” for the things that are calling out the loudest—and the most urgently! 

Is that true for you, too? (Maybe we’ve even forgotten to ask for the Lord’s help—the very One Who can give aid and peace through the pressures.)  

And that’s how it happens… 

🙙 We run out of time, unintentionally, of course—and we have none to spare for growing in this most vital and urgent of all relationships—with the LORD! We can’t talk to Him in prayer today—and we certainly do NOT have the luxury of cracking open a Bible to drink deeply of the soul-refreshing truths that live there! After all, just like we’ve been short-changing ourselves – going short on sleep and short on time to eat properly—so too, time with the Lord will just have to wait. And things continue to cool… 

🙙 If the cooling expands, then we’re without God’s refuge or safe place, and before too long, it will be easy for unjust thoughts to creep into our hearts, replacing the life-giving ones God wants to place there instead. Because satan, who’s just waiting for a weak moment, so slyly and vilely, knows when to make his play. Some questionable idea—or some ungodly thought—can soon grow into desire…and if that desire is allowed to crowd out pure, biblical reasoning and logic, and submission to God’s law, we can fail the Father in a hurry! We might choose some self-gratifying pathway—and—in our hearts—begin to manipulate the truth—and justify ungodly thoughts, wants and choices—while assuring ourselves that things will turn out alright in the end…it will all be fine…it will be worth the risk, the gamble because this is something I  want to do after all…and I sure deserve it!  

🙙 But—do we look down the road at the cost? Or the outcome? Or the consequences of our choices? While we really don’t want to disappoint the God of heaven, we find ourselves saying, this certainly isn’t so bad after all, right?! Really? Who are we trying to convince, God—or ourselves?

🙙 Just like the angst of that farmer, once he destroyed his crop—it was gone! In the same way, a progression of sin can entrap us! Destroying innocence, it causes so much pain, angst, and guilt…and then what? 

🙙 That’s when our weary, disillusioned souls crave tender comfort and consolation! And if we are wise enough to “come to” – to “waken” to our situation and to see our reality…then what comes next? We are swamped with guilt! Just as the farmer mowed down the beauty of his crop to make way for a different source of gratification, there’s no one to blame when we’ve ruined things! And our heartbreak is excruciating! But guilt is a wonderful teacher!

🙙 Maybe that’s when we notice the LORD the most – when we’ve finally arrived at the place that we never wanted to be—and we can’t stand the pain anymore, and He opens up His arms to offer us consolation, and invite us to:

“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” – James 4:8. 

Consolation. Whew! There are so many, many times in our lives when we really need it—and long for it! What does it really mean, after all? 

Consolation is the act of giving comfort or solace in times of severe and upsetting loss, pain, or disappointment. We can see God’s consolation as He offers to move toward us as we draw near to Him!  

The amazing truth is that the Lord Himself is the Master of consolation and comfort!  

Even when we’ve sinned against Him, if we’ll come to Him in humility and regret over our sin, authentically seeking Him, seeking His will, and determined to obey—then—there can be consolation found that is beyond anything we might compare it to!! 

The Father LOVES US, dear one!—He LOVES US!! 

And through the death of Jesus, His precious Son, He’s authentically demonstrated His love for you and me. He’s offered redemption to those who will believe and obey, washing away our sins by the ransom of Jesus’ precious gift and adopting us into His family – as His own through His amazing grace when we’re baptized into Him! He longs to give us consolation! And ever so much more than that! 

We praise God! 

When we run to Him—and He is worth running to—He offers us a secure and safe refuge of HOPE that satan cannot penetrate when we determine to continue walking closely with Him! 

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by  the power of the Holy Spirit.” – Romans 15:13 

Hope! Joy! Peace in believing! That’s what the LORD wants to give us!  

And it’s our choice if we want that… It’s always our choice!

For further Bible study, please consider these passages: 

Ephesians 2:4-10; John 3:1-21; Romans 6:1-8; Galatians 3:26-29.

A P.S. from Lisa:

My Summer’s Sunflower Story: It was a hard year to be a sunflower! 

Usually–a seed is something bursting with life…and so full of promises…and possibilities that we enthusiastically look forward to its fruition, whether it be in the fragrance of its beautiful flower or the juicy flavour of its vegetable or fruit at maturity! But–when its life is threatened, it’s a sad day! From blight to drought to pollution and unkind farming practices, the sunflowers of my acquaintance took a lot of hits this past summer. 

And for another menacing reason, we had our own personal sunflower saga of loss…

To continue reading Lisa’s “P.S.” click the link and visit her website:

https://heartinspirations.ca/2022/10/15/god-is-my-salvation/

Lisa Hains, is blessed beyond words to be an adopted daughter of the gracious God of heaven! And by His tender grace, she’s also a minister’s wife, mother, and grandmother to some amazing people, and, loves being a Bible teacher, inspirational speaker, artist, writer, and also a blogger at HeartInspirations.ca