Wheat is More Than a Grain

Donna Wheat. Donna Buckwheat. Donna Oats & Wheat. Donna Corn Wheat. Donna Wheaties. Those were names I was called back-in-my-school-days. Having the last name “Wheat” made for much entertainment for my friends. At least no one ever asked, “How do you spell it?” But, then came my forever boyfriend who had the last name “Wuerch” and to this day I hear “How do you pronounce that? How do you spell that?”

The name, “Wheat” has so much more meaning than it simply being my maiden name. It contains legacy and promise and hope. Not only was I blessed to be born into the Wheat Family which carries a legacy of honorable, faith-filled and devoted followers of Christ, but the name continues to impact this world. In particular, my three nephews, the sons of my brother and his wife who carry the Gospel message as pastors/ministers here in Texas. The “Wheat” crop is top quality and it keeps pollinating and producing other faithful and devoted followers of Christ.

God sincerely amuses me with His subtle way of giving me daily inspiration for my posts. As I was scrolling through my timeline yesterday, I was taken with this beautiful photo of a wheat field. The story that accompanied it was this:

“There was a farmer who grew excellent quality wheat and every season he won the award for the best grown in his county. One year a reporter from the local newspaper interviewed the farmer and learned that each Spring the man shared his seed with his neighbors so that they too could plant it in their fields.

The reporter asked: “How can you afford to share your best wheat seed with your neighbors when they are entering their crops in the competition with yours?"

“That's very simple,” the farmer explained. "The wind picks up pollen from the developing wheat and carries it from field to field. If my neighbors grow inferior wheat, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of all the wheat, including mine. If I am to grow good wheat, I must help my neighbors grow good wheat.”

The reporter realized how the farmer's explanation also applied to peoples' lives in the most fundamental way. Those who want to live meaningfully and well must help enrich the lives of others, for the value of a life is measured by the lives it touches. And those who choose to be happy must help others find happiness, for the welfare of each, is bound up with the welfare of all.”

And, I wholeheartedly agree. We are blessed to be a blessing. When we share our lives, our hearts, our encouragement, our sensitivity, our honesty and integrity with others, their lives WILL be enriched and their “crops” will help heal the lives that they encounter.

2 Corinthians 9:10 “He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.”

The Power of Preparation

We’ve just completed another NCFCA Speech and Debate Tournament in Dallas. I say “We” because I dig my heels in along with the other parents and community judges who volunteer to judge the debate and speech rounds. I’m always amazed at these young people who are “preparing” for life by being involved in a program that provides such a firm foundation for their future. They’ll take these skills with them into whatever vocation or occupation they pursue in the future. The stage presence, the ability to think-on-their-feet, the mental steadfastness, etc. are just some of the benefits. In some of the debate rounds, it didn’t take long to determine what the outcome of the debate was going to be because it was evident who the most prepared debaters were – they were the ones who had great vocal articulation, confidence, knew their subject matter well and you knew they had studied and PREPARED for this event.

Both Payton and Alexia have done so well this year! They have both already qualified for Regionals, so Alexia didn’t compete this weekend, but Mr. Aggressive Payton is working on more speaker points so he competed again and did so well -- ranked in six different categories. I know, one day, we'll look back on the preparation they've gone through in their speech and debate tournaments. Without a doubt, they are being prepared for that perfect plan God has for them. These times are preparing the soil for the future harvest!

There’s something to be said for PRE (before): Why do we look for the vegetables before we till the soil and prepare it for the seed? It’s the soil, and not the seed, that determines the quality of the harvest!

It would have made no sense for the young shepherd boy, David, to be able to kill a giant with a sling shot. A lion and a bear didn’t look like a Goliath, but they were the perfect instruments of preparation. Seriously, everything is preparation. Every mistake we make is preparation. Every lesson we learn is preparation. Every step of our faith journey is preparation. God uses it all.
One of Payton’s speeches in the category of Original Oratory was “Learning from Adversity”. In it he talked about in his young years when his mother insisted that he practice his piano and those were the years when he’d rather play outside than practice his piano, but his mother would say, “Trust me. One day you’ll be so glad I made you practice.” And Payton said, “Yes, today I am so glad as I teach others to play the piano, and I would never be here today were it not for the times of practice and preparation.

I know God prepared me for the season I am in. Who knew I would be living so on purpose with what I do today….even with these blog posts? Oh, God did – when I was in typing lessons in my high school class; when I became a technical writer for companies that I worked for; when I needed a forum to shout to the mountain tops that “GOD IS FAITHFUL” in the midst of my greatest trials.

The school teacher prepares lessons that will prepare her students for good grades that will help promote them to their next grade and prepare them for life. Most certainly, THE Teacher (our Heavenly Father) knows best about what He is PREPARING for us. When we start seeing our pain as preparation; whatever we’re going through is preparation; whatever is hurting us – is preparation. God is preparing us for what He has prepared for us. It is not failure – it is preparation. Indeed, there is POWER in preparation.

What Grows in Your Garden?

I saw a friend’s post a couple of days ago where she was asking for advice for getting rid of weeds in her garden. Comments to her post included: “Put newspaper around the plant – it will suffocate the weeds”; “Put grass clippings around the plant”; and I loved this one “Don’t plant a garden!” LOL!

That made me think about the weeds that may have grown in our heart’s garden – weeds of selfishness, pride, self-centeredness, laziness, bitterness, anger, envy, etc. Here's my advice: 1) First, cultivate the soil and add in a get mixture of fertilizer (prayer) ; 2) Plant the seeds of God’s Word (Bible reading and meditation); 3) Give the plants plenty of sunshine (speaking the light of God’s Word over the situations that may be troubling or concerning us); 4) Give the plants plenty of water (thanking, praising, trusting in God’s goodness and mercy to complete what He started, Proverbs 3:4,5 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths."

Then, get ready for an abundant harvest of sweet and beautiful fruit: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.......” Galatians 5:22,23

St. Paul said it perfectly in I Corinthians 3:6,7 – once we plant the seed…..God will make it grow! "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow." God is the Master Gardener, and what He plants, always yields a great harvest!