I always smile when I see them, the green shoots of a plant pushing up through a crack in the sidewalk. In Cairo, this city of concrete and tar, we notice anything green. This city is not the natural place for plants to grow, not an inviting environment in which to blossom. The growth in the middle of the sidewalk is surprising and noticeable.  

When God asks us to move outside of our home culture, we move outside of where we know how to operate and what the rules are. We put ourselves into an environment that is not naturally inviting for our growth. We have to learn all over again how to shop and maybe how to drive or take transportation. We have to learn how to build trust and cultivate relationships. And sometimes we have to do this all in a different language! 

The amazing thing is that as we get through surviving, we find ourselves growing: growing in abilities we didn’t know we had, growing in compassion for people we didn’t know existed, growing in trust in the God who goes with us, growing in faith that He will do great things. 

I am thankful for the faith God grew in me as I served overseas. I learned to lean on Him in ways I would not have faced if I had not followed His call to leave my plans for my life and go where He wanted me to go.  

As James encourages brothers and sisters in Christ who are facing trials, this testing of our faith produces perseverance and perseverance brings us to maturity in our spiritual life. (James 1:2-4) God uses situations and relationships to bring about growth in us.   

And it’s surprising to those who witness it! Don’t hide your green shoots. Let them be a testimony of God’s goodness, faithfulness, and power. Let your life show the harvest of seeds planted in good soil that grows bountifully.