Our second year in Colorado, I was excited to experience all four seasons and finally have a garden. Wanting to plant the local flower, I planted columbine seeds in some flower boxes and waited for the sprouts to shoot up within the three-week estimated time listed on the packet. However, after two months of waiting, I decided to give up on the columbines. 

When I tipped the flower boxes to empty them out, I saw that the soil was held together with a tangle of roots. Unbeknownst to me, the seeds had been working below the surface! They had not been ready to bloom, but first had to do the work of taking root – the flowers would just take time. I have treasured this story and the illustration of patience and faithfulness for years. 

Seeing results takes time.  

So it is with Kingdom work. When God calls us to plant the seed of His Word, we plant in obedience and faithfulness in the way He shows how. We trust Him with the seeds, the soil, and the fruit – praying as we go. We know that we are not the ones who cause the seed to grow, nor are we guaranteed to see the fruit. 

Look in the right place for the fruit. 

The results of the seeds being planted were hidden under the ground. Too often we confuse “bearing fruit” as John writes in John 15:5 as people believing in Jesus. But actually, it seems Jesus is talking about spiritual fruit in our own life. Let’s not confuse the “fruit of the harvest” with the fruit that comes from abiding in Him. Our lives bear fruit as we abide in Him.  

This isn’t always easy. We often find ourselves in places where there is nothing to show for our labor. Boards request reports, supporters yearn for stories, and churches wait for presentations. The fruit we look for may not be visible in “souls won for the Kingdom” or even in cups of tea served. It can leave us questioning everything. When we find ourselves in that season of wondering, without “anything” to show for our work, we are reminded of Jesus’ words. Jesus tells us to abide in Him. That if we remain in Him and He in us, we will bear much fruit – even if the fruit may not always be visible to the untrained eye.