Understanding How Everyday Experiences Shape the Spirit
Every moment and every event in our lives has the power to influence who we are deep inside. It’s like everywhere we go, everything we experience—whether good or bad—plants something in our souls, a bit like how the wind carries seeds and scatters them all around. Some seeds are visible, some aren’t, but they all have the potential to grow if they land in the right place.
Time moves on, carrying with it opportunities for us to grow spiritually. But just like seeds falling on rocky ground or in dry dirt, most of these chances are lost if we aren’t open and ready for them. Our hearts and minds need to be like good soil—free, open, and truly wanting to grow—for these moments to take root and change us.
If our minds are trapped by seeking pleasure all the time, or if our willpower only chases after what we already want, then we’re not really open to greater joys or higher callings. If I keep holding on to what I think I want, or if I love my own comforts too much—even the ones that aren’t good for me—then there’s no room for something better to come in. It’s like locking myself in a room and tossing the key away. I might even start loving my own chains without realizing it.
But if I started looking for something more—if I truly searched for God in my life—then every single thing that happens to me could become a seed for something beautiful and true. Over time, these little seeds could grow into a huge, joyful harvest within me.
The message here is that everything—sunshine or rain, food or hunger, healthy days or sickness, peaceful country breezes or noisy city streets—comes from God’s love. These aren’t just random events; they’re opportunities and messages sent to help me grow. Whether I’m enjoying comfort or facing a tough time, each is a little gift from God, meant to help me become more like Him.
If I focus only on how things affect me—if I’m just thinking about whether I’m comfortable, successful, healthy, or getting what I want—I’ll end up empty. None of those things truly satisfy, because they’re not what life is ultimately about. Life is deeper than pleasure or pain, success or failure.
Instead, what should matter most is realizing that everything in my life is something God has allowed for a reason, out of love. My greatest happiness comes from recognizing His will in all things and choosing to respond with trust and love. When I accept every moment as a chance to love God in return, then I start to grow inside, becoming more like Him—who is love itself.
At the end of the day, it’s not about whether things go my way or not, but about knowing that God is present in all things, and His love is always offering me joy—if I’m open to receiving it. When I accept life this way, everything becomes meaningful, and I find a happiness that doesn’t depend on circumstances, but on the love of God working in me.
Minister A Francine Green
February 2026
afrancinegreen.com 