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Editorial note: This post is more of a personal reflection from me, Marianne. I actually wrote the bulk of it on May 25th, and had planned to publish it online soon after. At that point, our peanut garden was just coming to the time of first weeding. However due to the sudden passing of my Dad, I only got a chance to finish it now for posting. As I write now, we are about to start harvesting tomorrow! So for a couple years now, I have felt a bit sheepish that we've been here so many years and never made a single attempt at farming. Yes, we had a very small vegetable garden in the first couple years. But we've never tried planting the main food crops that make up a large part of our diet, like peanuts, beans, or maize. And even our little vegetable garden was abandoned, because (truth be told) it was not a stunning success, and I was discouraged! However, given the fact that we live in such a highly agricultural society, our lack of an attempt at farming bothered me, so at the end of the 2019 growing season I formed an intention to try our hand at farming in 2020. Well, we all know what happened to 2020! A little hard to farm in Uganda whilst stuck in Canada...I digress! So much of the Bible has become more understandable to me since coming to Uganda. For example, the cries for justice in the Old Testament, and the many agricultural parables of Jesus. One that didn't sink in until this year was a very simple concept: You reap what you sow.
Reflecting back on my long delay in even trying my hand at agriculture, the question that I come to is: If I know for sure that I won't reap any harvest if I don't sow, why have I never before made the effort to sow? In my case, I think it was a mixture of reasons. I felt like my own survival did not depend on growing my own food, so it was not a priority. I felt totally without knowledge or skill (still do, but I'm slowly starting to learn!). Each year, even if I had wanted to, I was unprepared because I was not observant of the seasons. And let's be honest - who actually wants to get up really early in the morning, sweat while working for hours in the sun, and come home totally dirty and exhausted! (Not me, in case you're wondering). This truth is not only about crops. The Bible uses these word pictures to talk about God's global mission - to redeem back from slavery for Himself a people made from every nation, tribe, and tongue (Revelation 7:9). Psalm 126:5-6 says: Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them. Sowing (and weeding, as I have learned!), whether physical seeds or the spiritual seeds of the gospel, is an energy-intensive, time-consuming process. However, it will be worth it! We are told in Galatians 6:9 that we should not grow weary, for in good time, we will reap a harvest. Doesn't it excite you to know that we are actually partners with God (1 Corinthians 3:9) in His work of redemption and reconciliation!? What reasons are there, then, for the believer who does not sow the seeds of the gospel by helping others come to know the love and forgiveness and freedom that can only be found in Jesus? I think the reasons are not unlike the reasons why I didn't try my hand at farming until now. I didn't feel my life depended on it, so it just wasn't my priority. Likewise, we as believers lack urgency and don't realize the great importance of taking the time to sow and cultivate the gospel among those around us. Others fail to sow because they don't feel they know how. Well, guess what, anyone can drop a physical seed! The same is true with the gospel. You don't need to do it the way others do it. God has given to each person their own story, with their own experience of what Jesus has done in their life. Just like dropping a physical seed, it only takes "letting it go". Just like we are not responsible for which seeds germinate and which ones do not, we are not responsible or in control of who will receive the seeds of faith we share. Just like a farmer, you sow and weed, and then you pray that your crops are going to come up! The other thing about this barrier is that we forget that we can ask for help. This peanut garden that we have is a learning experience for me. On my own, I have no idea how to cultivate peanuts - but my neighbours do. And it's my neighbours who have been teaching and helping me know what to do and when to do it. Lastly, I failed to sow because I was unprepared and unobservant of the seasons. This also can be true, spiritually. If we are unobservant about what God is doing in our own lives, and also what people are going through around us, we will miss the opportunities that are available to us. I like what Bruxy Cavey says; we as Christ followers ought to be "spiritually curious" people. We should want to know what people have gone through and where they are in their spiritual journey. God is already at work in each and every person's life. What has God already done in the life of that friend or co-worker?
And what should drive our spiritual curiosity? Love, of course! As we grow in love for those around us, we will long to understand the depths of the struggles of those that we do life with, so that we can pray and support them in the best way possible. You don't reap what you don't sow. Just as you can be sure that you will not have any peanuts at the end of the season if you never plant any, you can be sure that you will not have the joy of welcoming fellow brothers and sisters into the Kingdom of God if you never take a risk by living out and openly sharing your faith. Now who's ready to get a little dirty? I'm harvesting my peanuts tomorrow morning! |
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October 2021
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