As we carry on with our daily lives, let us remember that we are not just passive recipients of grace but active participants in His divine narrative. Each interaction we have offers a chance to reflect God’s love, to be that unique word spoken into the world.

Let this truth settle in: The same God we honor and revere is also the One who loved us at our worst and sacrificed His Son for our redemption. In Jesus, the concept of fear transforms into joyful trust. We are invited to approach God not just with reverence but with delight, embracing the relationship He desires to have with us.

For those who have His word planted within themselves, we are already made clean and pruned to produce every good work that is pleasing to God. Not that our works save us from our sin or grant us any special favor with God, but rather God our Father–who is also the gardener in this parable–has saved us by His grace and made us “His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we might walk in them” (Ephesians 2:8-10).

We glorify God when we claim our identity in Him, and call upon him in times of need! When life gets hard, straightening my crown and calling out to my Father should be my first instinct, not my last.