Part 2- Space for Seed

In Part 1, we talked about picking up fallen trees and realizing that opportunities to serve others are all around us, though easily ignored. This week I want to move along with the assumption that we’ve decided in our hearts to do better. We’ve started working on clearing a path for a new harvest, we want to see God move so we’re providing space for that in our lives and expecting big things from Him. 

Let’s look at this next passage in Ecclesiastes 11 as we continue this series. 

Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant.
If they watch every cloud, they never harvest. (vs4)

We decided last week that now is as good a time as any. We have to start and we must start now. Our hands are ready. We are now farmers ready to plant. The next step may require the most of you, but I pray you continue on this path. 

Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind 
or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, 
so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things.(vs5)

So much of our Christian faith is discerning the voice of God. Just yesterday, my friends and I were at a local park and sprayground when a young man walked up to us without an adult. We didn’t know where he came from and we decided to just assume he lived close by. He was a little apprehensive but once I asked him, “are you from around here?” He promptly told me that his great-grandmother lived nearby and she knew where he was. So he splashed around with our kiddos and then he asked my friend for an orange as he saw us picnicking. After he had the orange, he sort of kept hanging around our cooler and you could tell, he wanted more. My friend told him “why don’t you take a break from playing and go home for lunch, buddy?” and he did. 

We were a little torn in that moment because on the one hand, I could hear Jesus saying “feed my people” and on the other hand you hear the voice that says “don’t feed someone else’s kid because you never know what they’re allergic to!” It’s hard, isn’t it? Should we have let him join us for our little picnic at the park? I sure wanted to! I just didn’t know if it was the right thing. Did we miss out on an opportunity to share Jesus with this little man by not letting him feast with us? 

Later on, he came back as we were playing on the playground. With a fresh set of clothes on, he ran over to play with us once more. We found out his name was Ryan and he lived down the street. My friend talked to him about the town she was from and we talked about school mascots and other random things. He played on the swings with our girls and then we had to leave. 

I thought about Ryan for a long time after we left the splash pad and I wrestled with God saying it seemed like you put Him on our path, but what for? Then I thought maybe he’ll be there next time I bring my daughter and I can continue to develop that relationship. Maybe this is just the beginning! Talking to Ryan and getting to know him was I think more important than the orange we let him have. Maybe the seed is sown first and foremost by letting the person know I see you. I think Ryan felt that. I hope something comes of that in the future. 

Before you can plant any seed- you’ve got to dig the hole. So much of the work that we need to do on this earth is not throwing seed onto soil. Yet, that’s what has been taught to us as children, isn’t it? “Sow the seed and God will do the rest!” That’s what I grew up hearing. If my tiny evangelical self decided to try and invite a friend to church or talk to them about Jesus but was rejected, my Momma would say “you’ve planted the seed and that’s what matters.” I argue that I might have skipped a step. I didn’t dig the hole first. I didn’t make room for that seed to sink in. 

God calls us to different types of digging. All are important. 

Digging Intentionally

So many of the encounters we have throughout our day are surface. Yet, each individual is a part of the harvest that God is wanting to grow. Are we being intentional in our relationships with one another? Are we saying “hi, how are you?” just expecting or even hoping for a vague response? Are we prepared to sit in a church row or on a park bench for hours to let them unravel their burdens? Imagine if believers were so intentional in day to day interactions, how much more would an outsider be willing to receive the gospel when spoken? As it stands, most relationships are so superficial that when we say “I’m going to pray for you” or send a scripture through text, it comes across as insincere or judgmental because it shocks the recipient. I get this image of someone throwing birdseed at a wedding. If you’ve ever been on the other end of that, trust me, it’s not pleasant. I followed someone out to their car after a wedding one time as the bird seed was pelted at them. I got a mouthful and a headache from it! Perhaps this is what it feels like when we go around tossing seed without digging around a little. Do the grunt work. Dig in and get to know their hearts. Be intentional with every step God calls you to take, every conversation He grants you, and every heart He sends you to hold. 


Digging Inwardly

Just as we can’t wait for things to be perfect before we reach out, we can’t wait for the perfect time to reach in. It’s within the imperfect moments of our lives that the Bible is most applicable, most needed, and most transforming. I can think of countless times in my relationships that I begged God to change things in someone else only to find that the work He was planning on doing started with me! If God had a shovel to your heart right now, would he easily break ground or would He need to rent a jack hammer? I’ll confess, sometimes, the ground of my heart has been hardened to even the slightest change. Sooner or later though, rains come and the ground softens because I realize that I cannot have seeds planted within me until I first have allowed myself to dig deep and find places for those seeds. Places where my thinking may be flawed, where my heart may be calloused, or where my perspective may be shallow. Ask yourself, Am I an impressionable person? Who do you leave the most room for? The world, or the word? God is calling us to dig inwardly, to search our hearts, and to break ground so that His Holy Spirit can guide us in our serving of one another. 

Digging Intimately

I believe God is calling the people of the church to be spiritually intimate with one another. In a world full of filters, we are called to love and nurture flaws. We may not have this type of relationship with everyone, but we should have it with some. I think about the relationships that God’s people held with one another in the bible. 

• Paul and Timothy- Communication and Encouragement 
• Ruth and Naomi- Generosity and Self Sacrifice
• David and Jonathan- Commitment and Grace
• Jesus and Peter- Forgiveness, Patience, Acceptance, and Loyalty
• Moses and Aaron- Advocates and Partners in Ministry, Supported one another 

Which of these attributes describe your relationships with your friends or the people you know in the church or elsewhere? If it’s one or two, maybe it’s time to let that wall down. Maybe it’s time to post an “OPEN” sign on your gate. Do people know that you love them? How do you show that? Do people know that you trust them or do you push them aside and walk with a “do it yourself” attitude? Think about this: in sharing and bearing our burdens with people we trust, we are preparing ourselves for ministry with people we don’t yet know. 

With Ryan, we made the choice to dig intentionally. That’s all. Just one choice. I believe it made all the difference. That young man came back for more. Isn’t that what we want for God’s people? To feel cared for enough to come back for more? We need space for the seeds that were so eager to throw out. Let’s get our shovels out and start digging, so that when God gives us the seed of His word, and the rains of His Holy Spirit, a harvest can one day be reaped. 

Pray

What a blessing it is to be a laborer in Your field. Lord, help me to see the ground that needs breaking, the hearts that need holding, and let me be ready when the rains come. Remind me that it’s not just about getting people to listen to me. It’s all about getting them to the point where they can feel your love. Let me be an impressionable person, guided by Your Word and moved by Your Spirit alone. Thank you for every opportunity you place in front of me to serve Your people. 

Reflect

1. Think of a time when you’ve dug intentionally and how did that benefit you and the person you were intentional with?
2. Do you have many  intimate relationships in your life outside of family? Why or why not? 
3. Are you an impressionable person? What leaves the biggest impression on you? How does the world leave an impression on you and does that benefit or hinder your relationship with Jesus? 
4. Read through Mark 4- The Parable Of the Sower and write down where you think you are in the story. What type of digging needs to be done in your life? How can you start? 

Do Something 

I think this is pretty simple. Find one way this week that you can start to 

• Dig Intentionally
• Dig Intimately
• Dig Inwardly

Go back through the reading and paraphrase what those things mean so that you can be mindful of them while you’re going about your daily life. Keep the shovel in hand at all times! 

Further Reading


Paul- (There’s a guy who had to do some digging first. Completely had to realign his thinking in order to follow Christ.) “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 and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.” ‭‭1 Corinthians ‭3:6-9‬ ‭NIV‬

Re-read through the life of Paul and see how God called him to all three types of digging (three I’s) 


Listen

The Harvester- Brandon Heath