This morning I came across a video on FB that depicted a young man who had a stammer and could not speak in front of people. His teacher who was working with him one on one took a page from a popular movie and had him wear headphones. This resulted in his ability to speak in front of people. This led to him speaking in front of his entire school that had for years seen him struggle with this stammer. As tears erupted from teachers and students he spoke and shared his heart of appreciation with them. It was moving and I would be lying if I said I was not moved to tears.
As I engaged in my time with the Lord this morning I was passionately reminded that what I saw was the very core of ministry. As ministers we often times get bogged down with politics or problems and we call it discipleship or just a part of the job. However, the best part of the job is seeing the fruit in peoples lives. As ministers we plant, tend and sometimes harvest. As a youth pastor it was always hardest to have to recognize that although I planted a seed, it was not growing, but one day there would be growth and fruit from what God had used me to start.
I started thinking about the planting metaphor and realized that ministry is so incredibly identical to gardening. You start with something you desire, people to come experience the life changing love and power of God, aka your seed. You find barren land and you work the soil, adding necessary nutrients to prepare it for the seed. You get dirty, your back breaks as you bend over to toil and till the soil till its just right. And then you plant the seed. For the next few days, weeks or even months you patiently wait, sometimes questioning whether the seed was good. And then, sometimes when your doubt is full blown, you see the small green bud begin to breakthrough. Although you see it breakthrough, it may not be breaking through on all of the planted seeds. So you faithfully continue to water, protect, prune and prepare each plant to bear a great harvest. And when that time comes and you see just how amazing the results are, you recognize how worth it, the back break, getting dirty, hours of toil and hard work was. And even in the midst of the reality that not all the seeds you planted sprouted and grew or how some inexplicably died along the way. You rejoice for the fruit that you do have. And in rejoicing there becomes this amazing recognition that there is no way you could have done this on your own. That you were just the determined caregiver chosen to oversee the life God had created.
Many Pastors today have become jaded because perspective, pride and arrogance would have them focus on the plants that did not grow or died before reaching maturation. So after years of looking at death their passion and visions have died because they have not seen life in so long. I earnestly believe that this is a lie from the enemy. Whether one plant was the only one to make it out of thousands, we are to celebrate that one. Jesus leaving the 99 for the 1 to me is a celebration and recognition that all things even as small as they may be, are worthy of our attention and appreciation. I have worked for and seen too many jaded pastors that believe programs and events equate life. A funeral home with a dozen funeral ceremonies a day, still does not mean life resides there.
Whether your a Pastor or minister, and yes whoever is reading this is one of the two regardless of appointed title; remember why we do what we do. Remember the moments in your ministry where someone “GOT IT” and you watched as they sprouted, grew and bore fruit in incredible ways. Celebrate those moments and make them your focus. Get back to why we do what we do. To see the power and love of God change people. It is hard, thankless, sometimes feels useless and we get bitter knowing someone else is going to get to harvest what we worked so hard to plant. But, in the end God gets the glory. Leave your pride behind and focus on the harvest. Although the parable of the seed falling on different types of soils is true; we posses that knowledge so we can evaluate the soil, determine what type it is and lovingly work it accordingly, to receive the seed.
Numbers are not indicative of fruit. Your ministry, your passion and your church should be a fruit stand. Displaying the bountiful harvest of discipleship (tilling the soil), vision (the seed) and the powerful move of the Holy Spirit (the bearing of fruit). Baptisms, member numbers, financial statements and attendance records don’t tell the story of your church; the fruit of your people do.