Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.” – Genesis 1:28
There are seasons for everything. Sometimes, there is plenty of energy to produce fruit, whether it’s caring for a family, running a business, ministering to others, or being creative. And sometimes, there are times of, well, no fruit at all.
I have had seven different surgeries in my life, most of them related to cancer. I am also someone who likes to be up and doing, walking, running, cleaning, etc. After every single surgery at the follow-up appointment, the doctor would finish the spiel about recovery and wound care, then ask me, “Do you have any questions?”
There always was. Just one.
“When can I run again?”
The same look would flit across every one of their faces: “Seriously?”
They would give me a response, and I would mark it down in my calendar and wait. These were times of little fruit in my life. You are supposed to rest and recuperate, not go, go, go. And I am an obedient patient.
But when that calendar turned over to that day, the doctor said I could run, you can bet I laced up and went for it, no matter how short, slow and painful.
We long to be fruitful. We long for the right time, energy, and space to gear up and go. We were made to go!
Stonecroft has just come out of a season where our normal ways of bearing fruit changed. Maybe some rest and recuperation were in order. And maybe now or coming soon is the time to begin again. To lace up. To gear up and ready ourselves for our mission.
I learned how to pick myself up after seven surgeries, two rounds of radiation, and six months of chemotherapy to go from zero miles to more than 100 miles a year running. I learned to begin again over and over.
Let’s begin again together in seeing women reconciled to God through Jesus Christ.
Questions:
- What do you sense God is preparing for you to gear up for?
- In what ways do you long to be fruitful?