Tiny Signs of Growth

It's become a daily ritual.

My husband and I walk through our recently-planted garden, avidly seeking signs of growth. We delight in spotting the first leaf of a tomato or cucumber plant pushing stubbornly through the soil. He journals to keep up with dates so we know precisely which row was planted when, and can anticipate when growth might be expected.

But some plants are just stubborn - they push through the soil ahead of schedule. Others are right on time, and there are always a few on each row that are stragglers, lagging behind at each stage of the game. We find ourselves rooting for these "runts".

This early in the season, it's hard to imagine that soon we'll be spending hours chopping peppers and canning green beans. We worry about the plants still under the soil, wondering what is going on down there that will eventually bring them into our view. We dread the sound of thunder and potential hail that could easily wipe out the entire garden at this point.

It's easy to forget when faced with a plethora of produce at the height of harvest, that each plant started as a seed in the ground, that stubbornly pushed its way through the soil to greet the morning sun. Each one fought off the threat of disease and destruction by bugs of some sort or another. Rarely was the combination of sun and moisture ideal. And yet somehow, they survive. With appropriate, but imperfect, care on our part, the seed becomes a plant that yields "in due season".

How like our ministries! We plant a seed - the word- and watch for it to push its way through the soil. We nurture and do the best we can to provide an environment in which a believer can flourish. We anticipate fruitfulness, but worry when we don't see the tiniest shoots. We wonder if something catastrophic will wipe out a believer or even an entire church. And we pray that our care is doing what needs to be done.

Those daily walks through the garden encourage us. We are reminded daily that what we are doing is sufficient - even if not perfect - and that God has put into that seed everything needed to push the plant toward the sun and into the world where it can be fruitful.

Pray that God will give you eyes to see the tiniest signs of growth today. He has put in the word everything needed to push the believer toward truth and fruitfulness. We just need eyes to see the work in progress.