I love spring. Everything is green and new. No matter how many times I experience it, I never get tired of seeing the budding, blossoming, and bees buzzing–the world comes to life again. Besides these signs of spring, there’s also another tell. One may even say it’s a nuisance or annoyance. I’m sure you guessed it: pollen. I don’t recall having seasonal allergies until a few years ago. Before that, I never really understood what people were feeling when they experienced them. But last weekend, as I worked in the garden to prepare for planting, I started to feel the symptoms: runny nose, itchy eyes and scratchy throat. The next morning, there was no mistaking the culprit as I looked to see my red car turned yellow. 

What’s interesting about pollen is that it’s not actually harmful to us. Rather, some people’s immune systems treat it as a threat, thereby creating antibodies and releasing histamine and other chemicals in their bodies. This is what creates all the nasty symptoms. Since I’ve been gardening I’ve come to realize the importance of pollen, and as I looked at my newly-coated car, I was not annoyed but rather in awe of God and His creation. Pollen is necessary for plant reproduction whether that be for conifers, fruit-bearing plants, or other types. It is an ingredient to grow life, how God made His creation to reproduce after their own kind. We see the clouds of pollen produced by trees that need the wind to help them reproduce. We see the bees carry the pollen from flower to flower and back to their hives, not only helping plants to bear fruit, but they produce food for themselves and for those of us brave enough to get it. 

As I thought more about this amazing process, God reminded me of our spiritual growth process as Christians. We have moments, trials, people, and other things in our lives that may seem like a nuisance or an annoyance. We may even fight against what’s happening to us. But what if some of those things are really spiritual pollen–helpful steps on our path to bear fruit? Just like many people’s bodies reject pollen and create a fighting response, sometimes we misunderstand these necessary steps in our lives as being harmful rather than helping us to bear fruit. Discipline is the first thing that comes to mind. 

“It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” Hebrews 12:7-11 (NASB)

As Christians, we have both the Spirit and flesh warring daily, just like our bodies fighting off the pollen. While I’m not saying that all trials and difficult moments are from God, I believe that many of us recognize the moments where God is stretching and disciplining us in ways that may be uncomfortable or outside of what we want for ourselves. We may receive a nudge in a certain direction and be too afraid to step forward. We may be asked to forgive someone and relinquish bitterness that is hard to let go. We may be told to step out of a relationship that doesn’t honor God. Our goal is to become like Christ and our flesh will not let us do that easily. But thankfully the apostle John reminded us that “greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). James also encourages believers: 

“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4

When we’re going through something that frustrates, annoys or confuses us, let us ask God first if we’re supposed to fight it, or if He is trying to lead us to a place to bear fruit. If we ask Him in faith, He will let us know. James continues to write in 1:5-8:

“But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

If we want to take the pollen analogy one step further, we could say that taking an anti-histamine allows our bodies to return to normal, showing us that we really don’t have something harmful in us. But we can’t just take one allergy pill and be fine. Most instructions say to take one pill every 24 hours, which means that it’s a daily medicine for as long as it’s needed. In the same way, God’s truth–His Word–is our anti-histamine, allowing us to see the truth of what’s unfolding around us and in us. It is only His truth that leads us to bear fruit and the process involves some hard decisions, and yes, even trials. Our hope and assurance in making it through is that Christ already paid for us with His life. We just have to be willing to bear with a little pain now to reap the glorious rewards in His eternal kingdom. 

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.” 1 Peter 1:3-9

The next time you step outside and feel those symptoms start to take over your body, remember that it’s part of the process to bear fruit. Ask yourself (maybe after you take an allergy pill to clear your mind 😉 ) if there are areas in your life where God is disciplining you and teaching you so that you can also bear fruit. More importantly, ask God what work He is doing in you and where He desires to lead you. Instead of us letting our flesh dictate our emotional responses, let’s call on the Lord and let His Spirit guide us into wisdom so that we may produce a tremendous harvest for His kingdom.

© Lauren Demuth