My friend was recently sharing with me how sometimes she gets discouraged because she has shared the gospel with others and doesn’t see any results. God calls us to be seed planters. To tell others about Him, then He does the work. Sometimes we might never see the end result till we reach Heaven! This story I made up is just an illustration that helps me remember I wont always see the quick growth in a new believer. Most times faith is a long growing process and takes many many years.
A small boy was at school and the teacher was telling his class about an exciting seed they would be able to take home and plant in their yard. The class worked hard on coloring paint sticks so they could mark where they were planting the seed. When it was time to go home the teacher handed out the seed. He thought this a funny looking seed with a hat on it. His friend that lived next door also recieved a seed. Upon arriving home he excitedly shared with his parents about his seed. They also became excited about the seed. He had a very large back yard and his parents helped him decide where it should go. Carefully they planted the seed and placed the marker so he would remember where to water it. His young friend also planted his seed near by. Every morning before school the young boy would happily run outside and water the spot marked out for his seed. After a week he was getting discouraged that his seed hadn’t sprouted yet. He still continued to water it only now, every other day. A few more weeks go by and still nothing. Summer was in full swing and the little boys had forgotten all about the seeds. Now about 8 weeks after he had first recieved the seed, his parents told him they where moving away to a new town. The boy as he grew had many trials though out his growing life. Some were so very difficult he felt as if he had been scarred. 35 years pass, the boy, now a man takes his wife and young son back to where he had lived as a boy. The house is for sale. As the family is walking around the place and checking things out, the son says “Daddy look at this very big tree! It will make a great place to play on and under.” The man, looking around, told his wife, ” Isn’t it funny what you forget as a kid, I dont remember the trees in this neighborhood.” The wife loves the tree and says it is the best part of the yard and so happy the house comes with such a shade tree with large branches. As they walked around the mighty tree the family looked at one side. Sometime when the tree was younger and still growing a storm had come along and scarred it. But the tree had kept growing and was a very large beautiful tree. With amazement in his voice the little boy says, “Look daddy, somebody put this stick in the middle of our tree”. The man tried to get the stick but realized it has grown into part of the tree. After a closer look the stick suddenly seemed very familar. The man is reminded of many many years ago, a painted stick and a teacher that had shared a seed with a young boy. It dawns on him THIS is the evidence of the seed the teacher had given to him! As he looks over the tree and thinks back on his life, he sees the scarred branch and thinks about how this tree is similar to his own life. Grown up now with some scars but still thriving…..
The man never saw the growth in the tree untill he had walked away for a time. He didn’t even see the growth of the seed in his friends tree until he returned home. When we plant a Godly seed in other peoples lives we might not see the evidence for many years, but its still there.
An acorn seed when planted actually grows it roots first. It can take anywhere from 8-10 weeks before a spout even comes up. Then it takes about 30-40 years to grow up. Looking at an oak tree root system it is deep and very spread out almost as far as the canopy of the top of the tree.
1 Corinthians 3:6-8
“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants the seed and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will eachbe rewarded according to their own labor.”
Spend some time reading the Bible today and praying and trusting God!
A Woman After God's Own Heart 