By Rae Lynn DeAngelis
When I was just a kid, our parents purchased an old farm in Milan, IN with another couple. Every weekend our two families would go out to the country and do life together. We were like one big happy family. I have many fond memories from this time in my childhood. The sixty-three acres of property provided ample room for all nine of us kids to roam and explore.
One year our parents planted a garden, hoping to fill our bellies with good wholesome food. We all had high hopes for enjoying the fresh vegetables we hoped to gain from our little plot of land, but we quickly realized, tending a garden on weekends alone wasn’t sufficient time to cultivate the abundant harvest we envisioned.
The result? We received a small return on our investment. The plants yielded very little produce, definitely not enough food to sustain two families.
Thankfully our neighboring farmer friends were gracious enough to share their bountiful harvest with us.
As the saying goes, reap what you sow—a statement that rings true for both gardens and spiritual growth.
When we invest time and effort into our personal spiritual growth, we will yield a great return on our investment. Bask in the Son’s light and goodness, fill your heart and mind with water through the Word, weed out worldly lies on a daily basis, and watch your relationship with God bloom and grow.
But we need to remember that just like tending a garden, a fruitful relationship with God requires time and effort. We will get out of it what we put into it.
Sow on weekends only and you will reap a weekend harvest.
Sow all-week-long, and you will reap a bountiful harvest that will not only nourish your family, but others as well.
“The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest.” (Psalm 85:12)
“They are the shoot I have planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendor.” (Isaiah 60:21)
