No Failure in the Kingdom of God

Posted on October 11, 2011 by Andy Wade

Its Fall and the leaves are dying

Its Fall and the leaves are dying

The following post was written as a contribution to the October synchroblog series Down We Go.

It is cold outside, winter is definitely on its way and I am starting to think about how to wind down the garden before the end of the year.  Part of that process is thinking about what worked and what didn’t and why.  No failure in the garden I keep reminding myself.  If at first you don’t succeed try again, and again, and again.  If a crop failures this year it could still produce a bumper crop next year.  Just build up the soil with some of that compost which is itself transformed garbage and wait for the planting season to begin.

This promise of hope for a new year is implicit in the autumn season. As we watch the leaves turn red and gold and finally die, we know that they have failed, they have succeeded. Their death, their seeming end gives promise of a new season of growth and fruitfulness to come.

This is one of my most heartening lessons from the garden and so reflective of the kingdom of God.  God’s world is upside down to ours, or should I say right side up. Something that looks like success on the surface could be at core a total disaster.  Or vice versa.  You don’t try to feed 5,000 people with a handful of loaves and fishes. You don’t rule others by becoming a servant. Kings don’t get crucified. Dead people don’t come back to life. All of these are recipes for disaster unless you put them in the hands of God.

Failure on the surface may be transformed into God’s greatest successes. A few loaves and fishes do feed thousands with enough left over for another feast. The greatest ruler our world has ever known becomes a servant to all. A crucified king becomes the Saviour of the entire world. This is God’s kingdom, that crazy world in which up is down and down is up. This is God’s world, the kingdom that belongs to poor not the rich.  It is a place filled with prostitutes and tax collectors and misfits whose lives have been transformed just as the compost in my bin is transformed.

Filed under: Death & Dying, Gardening, Kingdom of God, life, Rhythms of life, spiritual practices, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , |

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21 Responses

  1. October Synchroblog – Link Compilation « synchroblog, on October 12, 2011 at 4:57 am said:

    […] Christine Sine – There Is No Failure In The Kingdom of God […]

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  2. A Beautiful Mess « Grace Rules Weblog, on October 12, 2011 at 6:32 am said:

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  3. “Jacked Up” | Journal from Zarephath, on October 12, 2011 at 7:35 am said:

    […] Christine Sine – There Is No Failure In The Kingdom of God […]

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  4. jeremyers1, on October 12, 2011 at 7:45 am said:

    I like the idea about how death is actually a picture of new things to come in the future. Very encouraging.

    Reply
  5. Liz, on October 12, 2011 at 8:48 am said:

    Christine – Thank you so much for the inspiration! My hope is to make the world a better place but sometimes I get so discouraged because it seems that I don’t have the power or position or influence to make any kind of difference. Your post reminds me that making a difference doesn’t depend on those kinds of things.

    Reply
  6. Christine Sine, on October 12, 2011 at 9:20 am said:

    Thank goodness Liz – otherwise none of us would have a hope. I so grieve when I see people incapacitated by what they think is a failure when often it contains the seeds of their greatest possible successes

    Reply
  7. Pretty People « breathe, on October 12, 2011 at 12:45 pm said:

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  8. October Synchroblog – Links to Enjoy « Godspace, on October 12, 2011 at 3:04 pm said:

    […] Christine Sine – There Is No Failure In The Kingdom of God […]

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  9. sally, on October 12, 2011 at 7:37 pm said:

    Great post, thank you for this reminder of hope 🙂

    Reply
  11. Tammy Carter, on October 14, 2011 at 1:22 pm said:

    Beautiful post, Christine! This line: “If a crop failures this year it could still produce a bumper crop next year.” gave me HOPE! So, many times we try and try and try and try…then, eventually I think we do see the ground breaking, the growth and the blossoming of a new season…a new year! God bless!

    Reply
  12. Occupations and Politics « Minnowspeaks Weblog, on October 14, 2011 at 7:38 pm said:

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  13. How Low Can We Go? « Rantings of a Protestant Heretic ("My OTHER Blog"), on October 14, 2011 at 8:04 pm said:

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  14. Leah Randall, on October 15, 2011 at 4:55 pm said:

    “Failure on the surface may be transformed into God’s greatest successes. ”

    WooHOO!!! High five, Sistah! Amen!

    Reply
  15. October Synchroblog – Links to Enjoy « Transformational thoughts…., on October 17, 2011 at 1:03 am said:

    […] Christine Sine – There Is No Failure In The Kingdom of God […]

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  16. How Low Can We Go? « Rough-Hewn, on October 20, 2011 at 1:08 pm said:

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  17. Pretty People | Glenn Hager, on March 19, 2012 at 3:42 pm said:

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  18. “Jacked Up” – Journal from Zarephath, on May 24, 2013 at 7:51 pm said:

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  19. How Low Can We Go? – Journal from Zarephath, on May 24, 2013 at 8:21 pm said:

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  20. Pretty People - Glenn Hager, on January 31, 2022 at 3:00 pm said:

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