Fruit: Growth (blog)

"This is what the kingdom of God is like.  A man scatters seed on the ground.  Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.  All by itself the soil produces grain - first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head.  As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come."  (Mark 4:26-29)All summer long my husband planted vegetable and herb seeds wherever there was sun and open space in the yard to receive them, while I watched with amazement as the plants grew and produced a harvest.He made it look so easy.Have you ever thought (for more than a minute) about how plants, in some cases large ones like pumpkin and squash, can grow from such small, dry seeds?  I had to look closely at the seeds in my husband's hand, to touch them, and then to physically get out in the garden among those large-leaved plants and see their fruit to truly appreciate this.  Nothing in the appearance of a seed even suggests the possibility of such abundant growth.I can get hung up on this but my husband doesn't consider how the seeds grow, he just keeps planting them.I've learned from him that the work of backyard gardening isn't all that hard if you don't overthink things and if you know what you're doing.  It's mostly a matter of small, everyday tasks like planting seeds, watering, weeding and watching (for pests and fruit)..and then planting more seeds.Growth just happens, "all by itself".In this blog series I've been writing about the conversation that Jesus had with a Samaritan woman (John 4:1-42), and how his small, everyday acts of listening and sharing truth with her grew into something much larger - a "crop for eternal life", the people of Sychar believing in him as their Savior.  I'm learning some things about spiritual ripeness and harvesting (and I hope you are too).  But exactly how Jesus worked through that one conversation to grow faith in the woman, faith that moved her to go and tell other people about him, is a mystery to me.I can get hung up overthinking this.  Do you know what I mean?What Jesus is calling us to do is simply to trust that he is still powerfully at work in the world through our little, everyday acts of kindness and caring, and that by sharing God's love with people who are open to receiving it we're planting seeds.  As our relationships deepen we might help tend those seeds, but the rest happens "all by itself" as Jesus creates faith and new life in people by the power of the Holy Spirit.A couple of years ago, Pastor Greg and Susan Finke (Dwelling 114.org) visited SHLC and talked with us about how to seek, recognize and respond to the work that Jesus is doing in the lives of the people around us.  They talked about how Jesus invites us to work alongside him as everyday missionaries in our neighborhoods, workplaces, schools and other social spheres.Like Jesus (John 4:35), the Finkes encouraged us to open our eyes and see the spiritual fruit we may be missing right in front of us:  people who are needing our love and care, people we can get to know and just enjoy spending time with, people who (someday) may be ready to hear from us about the good news that God loves them and sent his one and only Son Jesus Christ into the world to save them.The insights that the Finkes shared with us inspired me to prayerfully write this blog series and, more importantly, to get to know my neighbors.After the Finke's visited SHLC, a group of us started gathering monthly to encourage each other, pray together and share stories about what we see Jesus doing and what little things he's calling us to do.  Hearing others talk about what our Redeemer has been up to in the lives of the people around them, and how they're joining him in that, inspires me to keep reaching out to people myself.  These gatherings are so important to me, especially now with the pandemic and other challenges our nation and world are dealing with.In chapter 10 of his book, Joining Jesus:  How to Be an Everyday Missionary, Pastor Finke writes about how Jesus calls us to do things that are within our reach, like giving food to someone who is hungry, sharing our time with someone who is lonely, bringing hope to someone who is discouraged...the kinds of things that may not get much notice but that make a difference to one person who is needing them.The book is a great resource, and re-reading it now is helping me to remember that it's through everyday acts of caring like these that people come to know and believe in Jesus.Pastor Finke compares the little things we do for other people to sharing a cup of cool water with them, and I really like that analogy because Jesus, the Savior of the World, looked for refreshment from a cup of cool water that the Samaritan woman at the well in Sychar could give him!Because I tend to overthink things, it's such a relief to realize that Jesus is only asking me to do little things for other people, things that I can do as I go about my everyday life.  And now I'm eager to join my Savior in the redemptive work he is doing around here!Are you eager also?  What little things has Jesus been calling you to do, and who's been open to receiving them?