Sprouting

In our four years of living in this apartment, this is the first time I’ve ever seen anything sprout so close to our patio. Perhaps the seeds I planted back in March (and that my toddler son quickly got into) ended up fallin into the ground beyond our home and are now sprouting. Or could it be that all the rain we’ve been having has awakened seeds that were once dormant but now spring to life? I may never know the answer to this question. What I do know, however, is that these little saplings are serving as a vivid image for what I hope my time is to be remembered for when we leave this little, Texan town.

What did I plant here? What seeds have I sown that will remain and grow long after I’ve left this place?

My mom told me something the other day as she ponders how much longer God might have her and my dad stay in their current dwelling place. She commented that she wants to leave any place where she has lived looking more beautiful than when she first came. In part, she means that in the most literal sense due to her own love of gardening. But I know the sentiment runs deeper than that.

As believers, we have an opportunity to plant something eternal because we have the Spirit of the eternal God living in us. At the end of our time here as a family, I hope and pray that we have left something beautiful and of eternal value, just as many within our church community have left such a deep impact on us. I hope that we will leave this place more beautiful than when we first arrived.

As we prepare for our departure, the plants that have quickly sprouted up and are growing just past our patio challenge me to keep sowing here while we still can, even to the very end. And they also encourage me to trust that our time here has not been in vain. It definitely has not been in vain as far as what we have received here as a family. We have been blessed so greatly and by so many in a plethora of ways. But God has had specific ways for us to contribute to this community, too. I pray that our contribution will leave a lasting impact in the years to come. And, just like the saplings outside our apartment, that it will only grow.