“I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow.” 1 Corinthians 3:6 NLT
A miniature oak orchard! It wasn’t what I expected to find growing in our yard after the deluge of rain. I expected a huge crop of mosquitoes. Instead there were hundreds of little trees sprouted, seemingly over night.
I never knew the acorns were there.
Our neighborhood squirrels usually run and scamper and play in the trees of our back yard. I never saw them burying their treasures all across the front lawn.
We may never know the seeds we’ve planted for God’s kingdom. A kind word here, an encouraging note there, a prayer to brighten someone’s day, a scripture to share the love of Jesus. All these seemingly minor things can be seeds of the Gospel of Christ sown in someone’s heart.
Wandering the aisles at Wal-mart, it’s all about my to-do list and agenda. I keep my head down in order not to make eye contact. I try to get in and out as quickly as possible. Think of what I am missing! Others may have sown seeds I can’t see. My focus is on my hurried schedule. How about you?
We never realize we have been walking past a field full of seeds, waiting for harvest.
I didn’t know how long the acorns had been planted.
We have been flooded with rain for several weeks. Not only is the ground drenched, our front yard looks like a lake. The acorns could have been buried there for months. It took weeks of constant, soaking rain to soften them enough to grow trees.
One thing I know about seeds: they need to be soaked to sprout. All the little oak trees had been saturated from the rain. The hard outer cover of the acorn had softened enough to crack the shell and allow the inner plant to sprout.
Some seeds take a long time to sprout. The harder the shell, the longer the sprouting process.
Have you encountered someone with a hard shell? They may need a little extra water, a little more tending, before they become soft and tender. Some people need to be soaked. Continue watering, even when you don’t see any results.
We need to water seeds we’ve planted, as well as seeds others may have planted. I’ll admit, I’ve never thought about how I could water someone else’s seeds. But let’s assume that everyone who crosses our path this week has had a Gospel seed planted in their heart. How can we water it with our words and actions?
The acorns sprouted.
I’m sure the squirrels were just as surprised as I was to see their acorns sprouting all over the yard. It seems like one day we had a yard full of water, and the next it was full of tiny oak trees!
I was so very blessed to see a seed sprout this past summer. At Vacation Bible School, my nine-year-old granddaughter asked Jesus to be her Savior. Many people planted and watered the seed of the Gospel in her heart. What a beautiful thing to see it sprout!
We may never see the growth of the Gospel seeds we’ve planted this side of heaven. Should we stop sowing and watering? No indeed! Our job is to plant, water and nurture these seeds of love. God will cause them to grow.
[tweetthis]Gospel seeds need to be sown and soaked to sprout.[/tweetthis]
Every place we go is a mission field, waiting for seeds to be scattered: the grocery store, the coffee shop, our workplace. Now is not the time to play it safe. It’s time to throw buckets full of seeds of God’s love, and soak them with the Gospel truth that Jesus saves.
Until next week,
Joining these lovely writers. Be sure to visit their pages, you’ll be encouraged!
Suzie Eller, Live Free Thursday
Susan at Dance with Jesus
Barbie at The Weekend Brew
Kelly at Purposeful Faith
Holly at Testimony Tuesday
Holley at Coffee for Your Heart
Jennifer at Tell His Story
Jana at Sweet to the Soul
This was a delightful read!
Thank you Suzie. Looking forward to seeing you in 2 weeks!
Like the soaking rains, we can offer up soaking prayer over them. Too often I discount this powerful part of God’s plan. Even if our words or actions don’t reach them, the power of prayer to Almighty God can. This is where I place my hope for loved ones who have shut the door of communication. Thanks so much for this beautiful and encouraging post, Ellen.
Amen Sabra! Prayer can seep into the hardest of heart!
Amen, Ellen! That’s great news about your granddaughter! Oh, I would have loved to see those tiny Oaks sprouting up! Watering and sowing are always on my mind because that’s what we do here. See little fruit, but everyonce in a while a shoot sprouts up, and they need care!
They do need care and nourishment! Praying for you and your family Betsy!
Ellen! ((wave))
What a sweet reminder to intentionally take notice; that every where we go is our mission field…to water…or plant…and watch God build the growth.
Sweet post, Ellen. So happy to have happened upon you at the RaRa linkup today. What a pretty site you have. 🙂 Best to you, friend. <3
Hi Brenda, thanks for visiting! Yes, we have only to open our eyes to see the mission field in front of us! Thank you for your encouraging comments!
Ellen – Such wonderful news about your granddaughter – all heaven is celebrating with you too. I too am guilty of keeping my head down and focusing on the tasks at hand and potentially missing the opportunities to plant or water seeds. I just wrote a few weeks ago about meeting a WWII vet in a store, and if God hadn’t told me to stop and listen to him, I would have missed out. Thank you for your beautifully written post, I am so glad I found you. Your neighbor over at #RaRaLinkup
Oh, Debbie! I read your post about the WWII vet and loved it! Thanks so much for visiting!
Such joy about your granddaughter! I don’t think I’ve ever visited here before. My home was originally in southeast Texas, so if I hadn’t moved, we’d have practically been neighbors. I recognized the southern hospitality streak quickly 🙂
Thanks for the reminder to be patient and not grow weary (those are the words that formed in my head as I read your words) … I’ve been pondering Gal. 6:9 lately as I ask, “Is this worth it and where I’m supposed to be.” Love finding you reminding me of some part of the answer.
Embracing the Journey! Christi
So glad you stopped by Christi! Ahhh, patience! Not my strong suit, but if we keep sowing and watering we may see some sprouts!
So sweet to read about your granddaughter, Ellen – the next generation of light bearers! And yes, we do scamper by potential harvest all the time, don’t we?! I’m with you in slowing down and taking time to plant those seeds around us. We just never know what God can do. Blessed to stop by from #tellhisstory.
Thank you Tiffany! I appreciate your comments, and am so glad you stopped to visit!
Ellen, I enjoyed reading this. Your analogy of the rain soaking the acorn seeds is so fitting for how we can “plant” and “water” seeds of the gospel and of grace to those we are in contact with. We might never know how much our smile might mean to someone else or any other act of kindness. May God enable us to reach past ourselves and our agendas to spread His love. Blessings to you!
Gayle, how beautiful: reach past ourselves and our agendas to spread His love. Thank you for your encouraging comment. I appreciate you!