Bloom and Grow
by Jeannine Sawall
Then he said to his disciples,
"the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask The Lord of the
harvest, therefore, to send out workers into this harvest field."
Matthew 9:37-38 (NIV)
Years ago, I planted a strawberry patch in my
garden. As the snow melted away and the first glimmers of spring began to
emerge, I went up to my garden to see how my strawberry patch had fared this
past winter. In just a few years, those 20 plants have multiplied and spread to
fill the patch and are spilling over into other parts of my garden.
As I
marveled at my growing patch, I found several lessons for our Christian life.
Just as those strawberries spread, our Christian influence is capable of
spreading everywhere we go. Strawberries bloom where they are planted and we,
as Christians, are to bloom where we are planted. While I started with only 20
plants, they have spilled over and have planted themselves in areas I hadn't
planned on. As followers of Christ, our influence can surpass our expectations
in areas of our life we didn't expect. Whether it is in our homes, our
workplace, our friendships or random encounters, when we allow Christ to reign
in our lives, the gospel message spreads.
Even
though the patch is flourishing, there's still work to do. In order to enjoy
the berries, I have to tend to the patch. The Lord posts a "help
wanted" sign in the last part of the verse above from Matthew. When I tend
to the patch, the harvest is plentiful and sweet. However, if I ignore it, the
weeds get in and choke out the plants, the ripened berries will either rot on
the vine or animals whom I do not want to reap the berries will steal my
harvest. Any harvest requires workers and while God does not NEED us to get His
work done, the glory of it all is He wants to use us. He is willing to share
the blessings of His harvest work with us if we are willing to obey and be His
workers.
A simple
strawberry patch offers us a lot of insight into our spiritual lives. We are to
grow our Christian influence wherever we are planted. We are to tend to our
spiritual walk and be available to The Lord. If we walk in disobedience or
refuse to do the work we are called to, we miss what the Lord has in store for
us and our sphere of influence is diminished, allowing others who may not have
God's purposes in mind to steal our blessings and the harvest. However, when we
walk in obedience and availability, He allows us to bloom and grow.
GOING
DEEPER:
1) Where
is your Christian influence spreading?
2) How
do you make yourself available to reap God's harvest?
FURTHER
READING:
Jeannine is a wife and mother of four great
boys. She works in the property management business. Jeannine serves in several
behind-the-scenes ministries at Oakwood and has a heart for those who are
grieving.
