Every year when I start a garden, it ends up being a weird exercise in faith.
I rummage through my stash of seeds, and wonder if they’re too old to be any good. Maybe I stored them improperly and they’re ruined.
Still, I plant them and wrestle with believing they’ll grow. Every day I check on the seeds, wondering if the soil is too dry, too wet, or maybe contains some kind of seed-killing bacteria.
Then, to my surprise, the seedlings burst up through the soil, and I’m excited… for a day. Then I return to worrying they’ll die because of wind or lack of sunlight, or maybe I’ll water them too much or not enough. Even when they’re full grown, I doubt their fruit will ripen in time.
Every year I doubt the process and every year I’m surprised when the plants live and yield produce.
When I told a friend this, she challenged me to celebrate the sowing instead of worrying. That sowing is our part, and the growth of those seeds is God’s job.
I rummage through my stash of seeds, and wonder if they’re too old to be any good. Maybe I stored them improperly and they’re ruined.
Still, I plant them and wrestle with believing they’ll grow. Every day I check on the seeds, wondering if the soil is too dry, too wet, or maybe contains some kind of seed-killing bacteria.
Then, to my surprise, the seedlings burst up through the soil, and I’m excited… for a day. Then I return to worrying they’ll die because of wind or lack of sunlight, or maybe I’ll water them too much or not enough. Even when they’re full grown, I doubt their fruit will ripen in time.
Every year I doubt the process and every year I’m surprised when the plants live and yield produce.
When I told a friend this, she challenged me to celebrate the sowing instead of worrying. That sowing is our part, and the growth of those seeds is God’s job.
I've struggled a lot with expecting results, and the disappointment that comes when they don’t happen. This happens in ministry, marriage, parenting, friendship, and writing. When I invest myself in something, I do it with a goal in mind. I expect results. Whether that means receiving more attention in relationships, or having well-behaved, God-loving children, or watching people grow spiritually because of my investment, I expect it.
The thing is though, that every one of those outcomes is completely out of my hands. I can’t make my children love and serve God, and I can’t make people grow spiritually. All I can do is sow the seeds God gives me to sow. The growth is his job.
This year, I will plant and water seeds with a renewed mind. I will reject doubt and worry and instead unfurl my hands and release my expectations to God.
The whole process and all the provision of sun and wind and rain comes from Him. I can’t grow a single tomato. All I can do is sow the seed and tend the garden. The growth and fruit all comes from Him.
There’s a fine line between the hopeful, trusting expectation that God will produce fruit in my life or someone else’s, and the expectation that when I do ‘x’, I deserve the result of ‘y’. The difference is who I trust and rely on.
This year, I will practice letting go of my need for results. Whether it’s growing tomatoes or wanting someone to know Jesus more, I will sow the seeds and tend the garden, but I will not be disappointed when nothing appears to be happening.
Instead I will trust that something absolutely is happening, whether I get to see it or not.
This is faith – to trust beyond sight.
The thing is though, that every one of those outcomes is completely out of my hands. I can’t make my children love and serve God, and I can’t make people grow spiritually. All I can do is sow the seeds God gives me to sow. The growth is his job.
This year, I will plant and water seeds with a renewed mind. I will reject doubt and worry and instead unfurl my hands and release my expectations to God.
The whole process and all the provision of sun and wind and rain comes from Him. I can’t grow a single tomato. All I can do is sow the seed and tend the garden. The growth and fruit all comes from Him.
There’s a fine line between the hopeful, trusting expectation that God will produce fruit in my life or someone else’s, and the expectation that when I do ‘x’, I deserve the result of ‘y’. The difference is who I trust and rely on.
This year, I will practice letting go of my need for results. Whether it’s growing tomatoes or wanting someone to know Jesus more, I will sow the seeds and tend the garden, but I will not be disappointed when nothing appears to be happening.
Instead I will trust that something absolutely is happening, whether I get to see it or not.
This is faith – to trust beyond sight.
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