“The one who plants and the one who waters really do not matter. It is God who matters because he makes the plant grow.” 1 Corinthians 3:7 GNT
I used to be in the children’s choir, and one day after rehearsals, one of us had a grand idea!
“Let us plant corn,” he said, and we all jumped at the idea. At the back of the church was a small corn farm, so planting ours was easy. We found a peeled, lone corn cob, so we dug a hole and put it in the ground.
The soil at that part of the compound was sandy, and from agricultural science, you’ll know that sandy soil isn’t suitable for planting. But we did it anyway. Then we faced a dilemma: how do we water this seed as there was no bowl in sight?
One of us ran to the tap, put his mouth under it, filled his mouth with water, and ran back to our location to water the seed with the water from his mouth. Then we rejoiced because we were about to have our very own farm.
A few days later, we were back in church for service, and to our dismay, we saw a small sprout. We were so excited that the adults wondered what all the joy was about. They did not understand; we had just created something.
Unfortunately, the life of the sprout ended that day because it was planted right in front of the main door to the church. We didn’t fully think about that part.
But this experience taught me something: even though we used sandy soil and the water was probably not enough, God saw our childlike faith and still caused the plant to grow. I see it as a father’s way of encouraging his child to not stop dreaming and doing.
You never have to worry about how you planted the seed or whether the water was enough for that seed. God says, “You have a seed in your hand, so just plant it, water it, and leave the rest to me.”.
How can we plant the seeds in our hands through work and expect a harvest?
When I read the anchor scripture the first time, it didn’t sound right. I felt the planter was just as important as the person who waters and God who grows.
But then I realized something.
Every seed has the God-like ability in it to grow. Once planted in an environment, that ability is activated.
But if you take wood, put it in the ground, and water it a million times, it will never grow. Why? Because it is not a seed with a God-like growth ability.
God is the one who matters most because that scripture refers to God’s growth ability that has been placed in that seed for germination. Don’t try to plant anything else that’s not seed.
So, what are these seeds? Every seemingly insignificant gift and ability in you that is intangible but requires a conversion of energy to yield a physical harvest.
In other words, work is how we convert energy, and it is through this that our gifts, skills, and knowledge become tangible assets that others can find useful.
We only need to plant, water, and have childlike faith. God, in His infinite ability, as He has set in place from the beginning of time through systems, will cause the growth we want, according to His will.
“I know the seeds that I have in my hands. I choose to plant and water them by doing the following…”
Work is an expression of faith because we put in so much effort and, deep down, expect a result that we are yet to physically see. When you don’t work, you become like the third servant, believing that your seed should be buried.
For the seeds you have, take notes about the kind of work you need to do so they become useful to your partners, clients, family, and other stakeholders.
Leave a Reply