Planting Seeds While Planting Flowers
Photo image courtesy Pixabay
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. – Matthew 5:16 (ESV)
Have you ever experienced a surprise revelation that God was using you to minister to someone without intentionally doing so? That’s happened to me several times. One day, I dug in my flower bed planting impatiens when a God moment occurred. Our neighbor girl, Jenny*, walked up beside me and asked, “What are you planting? They look pretty.”
“Hi, Jenny,” I stopped to look up at her,” These are impatiens.” I resumed putting them in the ground, covering their roots with soil. We talked about flowers as I dug holes and planted them.
“Char,” she sounded apprehensive, but asked, “Why are you a Christian?” The teen girl stood near me, waiting for my reply.
“Well, Jenny, I realized that my friends, when I was your age, had peace and joy in their lives that I didn’t. It wasn’t until I became an adult that I finally figured it out and prayed to accept Jesus as my Savior. My life changed for the better after that.”
“What do I need to do to have what you have?” she asked.
Sitting in the middle of dirt and flowers, I shared God’s plan of salvation with Jenny. She wasn’t ready that day, but seeds were planted in her heart. Afterward, I pondered that unexpected Spirit-led moment. She saw something in our family—the light of Jesus Christ.
On that ordinary day, God led me to read Matthew 5:12-16. Jesus was teaching on a hill at the southern end of the Sea of Galilee outside of Capernaum. His disciples, who were likely more than His circle of 12, listened to Him speak about being salt and light, both of which they understood from the parables’ illustrations. Towns and cities on the hillsides stood out at night in Israel. The lights inside homes shone in the stark darkness like safety beacons to weary travelers. He wanted their lives to shine brightly to people around them, like the lights inside those homes beckoned safety to weary travelers.
My family and I hadn’t intentionally shone Jesus’s light, we just lived our Christian faith daily. Even while planting flowers, God planted seeds in Jenny’s heart. I also realized that in that moment, I experienced Peter 3:15. She asked me why I was a Christian, and I gave her answer. You don’t have to go to seminary to be a beacon of hope to someone. Live your faith every day and you will plant seeds too. Does your faith show at work, in your neighborhood, and other places? Can the people you encounter daily see something different about you that they want too?
Questions for Reflection:
1. Write your salvation testimony in simple words, both the long and short versions.
2. Learn how to offer the plan of salvation when someone asks.
3. Pray for God to bring people who need Jesus to you. Be ready to share Jesus simply without pushiness.
*name changed for privacy.
