Planting seeds
It’s our last week in Thailand. My heart is sad! I wish I could spend forever living and growing here. This kingdom is beautiful and full of beautiful people. All the plants are vibrant, the architecture is gorgeous, the food is AMAZING, the transportation (a real fun time). The people are kind, the atmosphere is sweet, and the coffee is even sweeter. I will admit there are a few things I surely will not miss. These include, humidity, heat, man-eating lizards, mosquitoes, toads, and roaches.
I have hundreds of stories, memories, and lessons Thailand has given me in this short month. It would take hours for me to explain and share all of them. I think the biggest lesson that I have learned, the lesson that I will continue to share forever, is the significance of planting seeds.
We have spent the majority of the month teaching English to children and speaking in churches. Did we save people from poverty? No. Did we play vital roles in helping end the vicious cycle of prostitution? No. Did we build houses? No.
To some, this can be really discouraging and may seem pointless.
Where is the fruit people?
Thank the Lord for His divine perspective that is shared with us.
Ecclesiates 3:1
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:”
Our ministry in Thailand was a planting season. We planted love, joy, and kindness in Jesus’ name everywhere we went. The thing is, we as Christians have to accept the fact that sometimes God calls us all the way across the world for a single interaction. A single interaction that we won’t be able to see the fruit of, but that doesn’t make it any less significant. This concept can be discouraging to myself and many others. However, here’s another nugget of truth. I reference Ecclesiastes 3:9-12.
Ecclesiastes 3:9-12
“What do workers gain from their toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live”
Wow! That is chalk full of the Lord’s promises. We are the workers for God. God has placed hard work on our shoulders. If anyone knows anything about farming, you know that the work is never ending and heavy. In Christian faith we are called to toil every day. The work is not easy, and God is aware. However, all of our toil, and planting, is made BEAUTIFUL in HIS time. How and when He does it? We will never know.
We are farmers and we are following the “Boss-Man’s” orders. If God says, “it’s time to plant seeds and you’re never going to see this come to bear fruit or harvest.” Then we do it! The bottom line is, we are just vessels for His work, and we are NOT saviors. We are the planters, the plows, the spray rigs, and God is the farmer. Thank God for that, because I am certain no mortal soul could handle the intricate and difficult work that God does in every season in every heart.
Instead of approaching this concept of not knowing or not seeing fruit in planting season with a prideful heart, we must approach it with a thankful one.
Pride says we are useless because we did not exhibit grand gestures. We didn’t save anyone from poverty or build a single house. Pride makes us feel useless and discouraged because of what we didn’t do. It is driven by earthy vision, driven by expectation. It is a subtle mindset that gives us a savior’s responsibility, when that in fact is not our job. He is the savior, and it is arrogant and prideful for us to try to adopt that responsibility as our own.
Thankfulness tells us to remember who the real orchestrator is. Thankfulness gives us a lens to see what little wonders God does every day. Thankful hearts give us vision of Gods expectation. A thankful heart is in tune with the Lords commands, and because of that He will share how our seeds may grow and multiply. A thankful heart is willing and will do each task commanded with joy.
It’s our job to love God and to love others. I love God more than anything, and because of that I want His will, not mine. Even if His will is hard to understand or difficult to carry out. Even if the toil is heavy, or what I view to be “not enough.” I am open to be a vessel, and a thankful heart gives me a lens to see how powerful and wonderfully executed His plans are.
I will give you an example of what God showed me. He showed me a seed we planted, and how it could be used for His glory and the good of others.
We have taught several English camps here in Thailand. At the end of one of the camps there was an opportunity for the students to come up and share a thank you to the team. Many of the young girls came up and something that completely blessed me was that they kept thanking us for the confidence they gave us to speak English more openly. Confidence. Wow, God used me and my sisters to plant a seed of confidence. It would be easy to overlook but God kept playing those words over and over in my mind long after they were spoken.
A seed of confidence is a powerful tool that is going to serve these girls well, and The Lord will allow that to multiple. I began to think about when these girls have the opportunity to know Jesus on a real level. They will need this seed of confidence to step out in boldness. They will need the confidence that God planted this month when they are walking with Jesus and people around them rebuke their walk. God is so good! I am very encouraged by this vision of His success.
I am reminded how intentional each interaction is. I hope that I have a thankful heart in tune with God for each one. I encourage myself and you to think about each interaction you have with one another. Are we showing His love? Are we listening to His commands? Are we spreading genuine kindness?
Remember that verse I shared, It says for us to live happy lives and do good.
Planting seeds is the biggest part of the process. If we do not let God use us to plant, crop will never exist.
