Spring is a special season. Flowers begin to bloom, and we see new vibrant colors emerge. The sun is starting to come out after the rain and gloom of winter, causing excitement about the days of summer just around the corner. Spring brings many lovely things to enjoy, but it is also a season of work – a season of sowing.
In my family, we have some amazing gardeners. I grew up in a home with a beautiful backyard, full of flowers, herbs, and fruit trees. And because of that, I am well-acquainted with the kind of work it takes to produce this kind of garden. I remember many days in the sun, especially in spring, toiling in that backyard. I pulled weeds, planted, watered, pruned – I got in the dirt and worked! My family and I invested hours of sweat in our plants, and at the end of the day, we didn’t see any payoff. We simply sowed, knowing that the fruit of our labor would come in a different season.
Then, in due time, the payoff came. I stood under our fruit trees, and instead of bare branches, I saw abounding amounts of fruit, so heavy that the branches actually drooped. All that work in an earlier season paid off, bringing forth so much fruit that we had to give boxes and boxes of it away.
The Apostle Paul expressed this concept of sowing and reaping in his second letter to the Corinthian church:
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”
– 2 Corinthians 9:6, NIV
Physically as well as spiritually, we sow in order to reap a harvest later. What we invest will determine the payoff. During the season of sowing, we must be willing to sow without instant gratification. We must sow knowing that the fruit of our labor is coming later, and when it does, it won’t just be sufficient, it will be abundant!
What are you sowing this spring?
Rachel Fou
Western Field Director