“I consider the success of my day based on the seeds I sow, not the harvest I reap.” - Robert Louis Stevenson
At first this quote seems a bit backwards. We all like getting the results of our labor. No one likes the work of planting a bunch of seeds in comparison with eating the fresh food! Having grown up in a family that regularly had a garden during the summer, I can concur that planting seeds was not nearly as fun as harvest. However, Stevenson wasn’t negating the value of the harvest, just reminding us that we only get a harvest because we planted seeds.
This works both positively and negatively. For me God has used it as a goad to remind me to keep doing those things that are necessary for a future harvest that would glorify Him. Keep writing emails, making calls, and setting up meetings whether they lead directly to support or not. Keep spending time with God regularly and intentionally, whether I see the changes I want in my life right away or not. Keep being consistently involved with Marie and Serenity on a regular basis. Why? Because the seeds that I plant today will bring a harvest in the future, and the seeds I don’t plant will leave me empty. John C. Maxwell once wrote, "Ultimately, people do not decide their future; they decide their habits and their habits decide their future.”
Proverbs reminds us of this essential truth when God tells us, “The soul of the sluggard desireth and hath nothing, but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.” (Proverbs 13:4) Just recently I have applied this principle to reading and instead of wanting to read a certain number of books I decided to just aim for the habit of reading something everyday. I was recently surprised at the progress I was making and mentioned to Marie, “It’s amazing how much you can read if your goal is just to consistently read.” God has used this to remind me to be consistent with the areas of responsibility He has given - it’s amazing how much you get done over a period of time if you just consistently work at it!
While we are still at 81% of promised church support, it has been an encouragement to see God bless the “seed sowing” of emails and phone calls with scheduled meetings! Please pray for us as we are home (Chattanooga, Tennessee) for two weeks with a meeting nearby and then back on the road for meetings for about 7 weeks in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Michigan, and New York! Please pray for us as we travel and share our burden to reach the Deaf in Romania, plant a church, and train others for Gospel ministry. Thank you for sowing seeds of prayer for us and the ministry!