Normally I don't write on passing emotions, but I think this post is about a month of experiences in the making. Let me explain. Over the past few months, I've had the chance to encounter various people and begin to present the Gospel message to them.
It's an absolutely incredible experience to share Jesus with someone in some way and it leaves you feeling victorious and empowered. However, I've also learned a rather bittersweet truth about this process: seeds don't grow overnight.
See, we're existing in a world that longs for resolution. We assume that we will hear the outcomes of everything almost instantaneously and deeply desire the endings to every story we hear. Let me show you what I mean...
1. If we have to wait more than thirty minutes at a restaurant for our food, we begin to get very impatient.
2. TV series thrive on the human desire for resolution. We watch shows to the very end, just to see what happens to the characters and we literally have fits if we get left on a cliffhanger (if you don't believe me, go up to someone within the Sherlock fandom and ask them about their opinion of season 4 of the series).
3. Movie producers are somehow able to create four to five movies about the same characters and world. And they've learned the art of splitting the last book of a series into two separate movie adaptions and generating millions of dollars more. Or in the case of The Hobbit, three separate movies. The only reason why this works is because of our desire to see the end.
4. Quick weight loss programs are a thing. Need I say anymore?
It's crazy how set we are on seeing the endings of every story. We brood over what will happen at the end of a book series or TV season.
While it's okay to do that with entertainment, we as Christians tend to do the same thing in our faith lives, which can be very damaging to us. When we pray for anything, we immediately expect God to make it appear before our eyes, as if he is a genie or magician. When we do anything outside of ourselves and impact others in some way by "planting seeds", we expect to hear about the change we made very soon afterwards; we want to immediately see the seeds grow.
But, this isn't always the case, is it? In fact, we OFTEN won't see the end of what we worked so hard to do while serving God. I think this is why we have such a hard time with persistent prayer; we pray fervently for someone or something for about a week and when nothing happens, we just forget about it and move on.
With that said, let's not forget this verse:
"But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: a day is like a thousand years to the Lord and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for our sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent." 2 Peter 3:8-9 (NLT)
So, there is some doctrine in this verse about repentance that we won't discuss today; don't worry about that right now because there's a basic gist to this scripture that we need to focus on: GOD'S TIMING IS DIFFERENT FROM OURS.
What if our impact stretches far beyond our lifetimes? What if it at least stretches far beyond the next few years? Or weeks? None of us can know or understand God's ways or His timing, but that's okay. This is where the concept of trust comes in. Think about this:
Do we truly trust that God puts every opportunity in our lives for a reason?
Do we truly understand that He uses us in a way that HE has planned, not how we have imagined?
Do we trust Him enough to know that His work doesn't end with us?
Philippians 1:6 says,
"And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns."
"You" doesn't necessarily refer to the person reading the text; it can refer to anyone we have come into contact with or prayed for. God will finish what He began.
Paul also discusses this in 1 Corinthians 3:7-9,
"It's not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What's important is that God makes the seed grow. The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work." (NLT)
Wow. That's profound. Again, we are being called to trust God. We may only do the planting or the watering, which means that we may not get to see the outcome of our work. But, God is still there the entire time, making the seed grow into maturity. Or, as Isaiah said,
"I replied, 'But my work seems so useless! I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose. Yet I leave it all in the LORD's hand; I will trust God for my reward."
Isaiah 49:4 (NLT)
Today, I discovered that one of my opportunities has officially ended and I may never hear the resolution of some seeds I planted in someone's life. It's extremely heart-wrenching, yes, but how dare I think to give up on those seeds or doubt God's purpose for the life I was able to pour into? After all, none of this is about me or the immediate rewards I receive here and now; it's about working for the Most High and seeing the eternal payoffs in His kingdom.
He isn't finished yet.
