Keep Planting Those Seeds

Seed…..Time….Harvest – that’s the process. We plant our seeds of faith, our seeds of caring and loving and giving and, sometimes, we think it’s taking way too long between planting the seed and gathering the harvest. We surmise that it must have been unfruitful seed. Take an apple, for example. It is hard to believe, but inside this itty bitty apple seed is a tree filled with apples. AMAZING! One small seed that has the power to produce a bumper crop of apples from a beautiful, fruit-bearing tree. It’s mysterious AND miraculous! All because God is at work and that’s just the way He rolls. From some of the smallest efforts, come some mighty great things from God.

While making the drive from Frisco to Austin, I was listening to "Unlocked", an audiobook by Karen Kingsbury. To say I've been inspired puts it mildly. The story is about a boy who at age three was over-immunized and became autistic as a result. The mother and father prayed for 15 years that the autism would lose its grip on him and he would be unlocked from the prison he was living in.. The story reveals the beautiful mind of this now 18-year-old young man who, in his strong mind, prays and speaks to and encourages others, though his body says otherwise. The parents keep praying for a miracle by planting seeds of faith and watching for any sign that his "prison" is unlocking. Spoiler Alert!! I’m at the part of the audiobook where that’s happening.

I am daily inspired by true-life stories that I see being played out on Facebook by many of my friends. One precious mother whose 8-year-old son was born with Full Trisomy 13, keeps us in her reality "story" as she shares her faith and the slow-in-coming, yet sweet victories. The seeds of faith that have been planted, watered, and cultivated by this most loving and devoted Mom are starting to mature. Yesterday morning I read her words: “Well, we can officially add one more word to Kingston’s vocabulary!! “Man-da!” (Amanda!) He absolutely adores his PT Amanda and this morning he said her name plain as day!! He’s been “babbling” for a few weeks but this is more articulated! A new word is a huge milestone for us!!! I’m believing he will be preaching sermons very soon!!"
Did you catch those mighty faith words? “I’m believing he will be preaching sermons very soon!”

I sincerely believe my post today is for someone who is diligently planting and the harvest, so far, is slim-pickin’s. I get it. We live in an instant-gratification world and it’s a world that values BIG. Big actions. Major impacts. Giant works. It is easy to get caught up thinking only “big things” matter, and we end up thinking our efforts are small and insignificant. Hold on, my Child! Joy comes in the morning. Your efforts, your actions, your kindness, your words, REALLY matter though you think they aren’t massive enough, far-reaching, or grand enough. Oh, contraire! They do matter. They matter because God is at work even when we cannot see it. He is at work in us and through us. We may never be famous or make headlines, but the seeds He plants in us and through us are our opportunity to BELIEVE. Never should we discount our contribution because it doesn’t seem like enough.

Keep scattering those seeds. Extraordinary things are done by God through us. Every positive, packed-full-of-faith word we speak, the encouragement and the offered prayer, the word of hope we deliver, are SEEDS. We never know how God will grow a seed. But, in His time, those seeds will grow. We may or may not even see them. But that is how it works . . . in His way and in His time. We can be at peace knowing we faithfully did our part and now His miraculous work is to come.

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time (in due season) we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” {Galatians 6:9}

Keep planting those seeds…..and get your pick-up truck ready to haul in that harvest!!

Faith Talk

Yesterday I posted "Keep your words soft and sweet....because tomorrow you might have to eat them". That is so true, and to take it a step further.... keeping our words positive and encouraging is equally as important to us and to others. People often ask me "What's the secret to all that energy and enthusiasm you have?" The answer is "Faith Talk". I practice it regularly. Actually, like others, there's always reasons to complain, be discontented, to worry, to feel rejected, misunderstood, or to be sad. But, oh my goodness, there's so many more reasons to turn those negative thoughts and words on their heels, and replace them with those affirmative, positive, life-changing words that have the potential of altering the course of my day, my family and friends' day, too. Our words become thoughts, thoughts become actions AND attitude.

The words we use, whether it’s when speaking with others or the self talk that we say to ourself, impact our thoughts and our thoughts greatly affect our actions. And when we take that one step further, we’re reminded that our actions become our habits. In other words, our habits begin with our self talk and what we say to others.

Choosing "Faith Talk" over "I Can't" talk moves us into a "sweet spot" that draws good things to us. And, it's just not the "talk", it's the walk -- the walk of confidence, joy, energy, enthusiasm and the I CAN attitude. I know in my life, this has been the case. It's the kind of talk that says things like "God is bigger AND I’m bigger than this obstacle.” It's almost like being plugged into an energy machine when we talk this talk. It puts a spring in our step. We see sunshine on a cloudy day. When it's cold outside, we'll live in the month of May. Hmmm....I'm singing "My Girl" -- LOL!

Seriously, I know from experience how powerful our words can be, and I also know from experience, that our words can determine our world. Let's make a habit of speaking "Faith Words". If our mouth fills our heart with words of faith when we don't need it; then our heart will fill our mouth with words of faith when we do need it!

"For out of the abundance of his heart, a man (or woman) speaks." Luke 6:45

"The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences." Proverbs 18:21