A few years ago, I built some raised garden beds in an area near the back of our backyard. Over the years we have planted all kinds of seeds there. Vegetables like squash, tomatoes, beans, pumpkins, and later, flowers. I can’t remember all the flora names, but we have had beautiful wildflowers including zinnias and bachelor buttons. Every spring my wife would carefully clean out the beds, add fresh soil, and excitedly plant the seeds. Then came the harder part. The waiting, the watering, and the weeding. It took weeks before we saw sprouts, and we had to wait months before we had food or flowers.
As a results-oriented person, I have a hard time waiting to see the payoff. I like to see results in real-time. If I plant an apple tree, it’s because I want apples. (Did you know that it takes 3-5 years for an apple tree to produce fruit? Sigh Evidently, it does.)
With a little experience, we can acquiesce to the reality that seeds don’t pop out of the ground as fully formed fruits. There is a longer growth process that has to happen. Seeds turn into sprouts. Sprouts grow into saplings. And, eventually, saplings grow into mature trees that produce delicious fruits. Planting apple seeds is not a hobby for the impatient. It’s a long slow process, but the payoff is worth the wait. There is power in patience.
One of the biggest challenges for many goal-oriented children’s ministry leaders is the reality that we don’t often get to see the fullness of the fruit that is eventually produced because of the seeds of faith that our ministries sow. Results-oriented leaders like me who are anxious to see apples, may struggle with feeling like their effort isn’t making an instantaneous difference. In those moments we need to remind ourselves that, when we minister to children, we are planting seeds at the very start of a life-long process of spiritual growth. Oftentimes when I want to see an immediate result it’s because I want to know that I executed the process correctly. When I alone own the outcome, I can adjust my process to improve the result. But that’s not how it works when we sow the seeds of faith. We may very well plant seeds that someone else harvests.
John 4:37 reminds us of this: “One plants and another harvests.”
In the end, the fruit of ministry isn’t something that rightfully belongs to us at all. It is God who owns the outcomes. He alone brings spiritual life, and spiritual growth that produces spiritual fruit. Paul shares this line of thought in 1 Corinthians 3:6-9 when he says, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth… for we are God’s coworkers.”
So, don’t get discouraged if you don’t see fast fruit for the investment you are making in the kids you serve. It takes time for roots to grow deep and strong beneath the surface before the tree grows tall, and the fruit begins to grow. Do your part to seed, feed, and weed in their young lives to nurture their faith in Jesus, and entrust the outcome to God.
Fun Friday: Gratitude Graffiti Wall
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