Somewhat apprehensively, I peered into the brown bag handed to me by the group’s leader. Seated beside Dad in his small group, I was surrounded by people I had grown up with. I was happy to have this chance to visit with these old friends, but still nerves flittered my stomach as I peeked at the item that fell to me by lot, the item I was to use as the springboard for sharing something recent from my life. I smiled upon seeing a new toothbrush in its package. No problem–this would serve perfectly to illustrate where I’ve been lately!
Another participant volunteered to go first. He removed a tiny jar of honey from his bag and described the sweetness he’d been experiencing in the midst of a particularly difficult circumstance. The next person’s sharing revolved around a bag of candy. After honey and some candy, it’s a good idea to pull out your toothbrush, so I jumped in next. First, I described the challenge of having to share my toothbrush for a few days on a recent vacation because my husband’s toiletry bag inexplicably did not contain his toothbrush–we are not sure why that was missing in action!
But the toothbrush was also a great illustration of my renewed motivation to be disciplined in healthy habits and also with my use of time. I think we all recognize that a single toothbrushing doesn’t really make much of a difference, and likewise, not brushing on one occasion doesn’t really make much difference. But if I never brushed my teeth, well that would show; and similarly, if I consistently (even if imperfectly) brush and floss, then my teeth and gums stay healthy. Small choices, singularly, don’t make a discernable difference; but done regularly, repeatedly, over time little habits can move the needle. That is where I want to apply myself. To figure out which small choices will bring the desired fruit, and to learn the discipline to keep at them. Which dietary and exercise habits, completed consistently, will help me get my weight and my cholesterol levels under control. Which consistent small habits will help me find time for more writing and posting more articles, while still maintaining my house and relationships, etc.
Even though it was a secular book that catalyzed this new quest, there are principles in the Bible confirming these truths. There’s one verse in particular that I’m leaning on as I pursue a more disciplined approach to the important things in my life:
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
Galatians 6:9 (ESV)
This verse assures us it’s just a matter of time: in due season we will reap… That’s a concept I don’t consider often enough. Last fall, we moved into our new home; one that already has an established garden plot–there were summer squash and cherry tomatoes ready for harvest as we took our first look around the property… I’m most excited about the established patches of asparagus. Oh, how I’ll enjoy those fresh-picked spears this spring! Do you know why I have never grown my own asparagus before? Because you plant asparagus fully expecting to have no meaningful harvest for two full years. Unlike green onions, radishes, and zucchini, which are all mature enough to harvest after several weeks, asparagus is something you really have to plan for. And it seemed like every time I had worked up the determination to take on that long-range goal, we were in a place of uncertainty as to how long we’d be staying put in that location. I think there’s something in each of us which longs for a harvest–literal or figurative–that we did not have to sweat over, but deep down we understand that’s not how things generally work out. We understand from our own personal experience what the Bible plainly states earlier in that chapter:
Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
Galatians 6:7-8
Don’t we hope to reap the fruits of labor even when we did not sow those seeds? We wish for the house to magically stay clean, or our bank account and retirement savings to grow in spite of frivolous spending, or to somehow stay fit and healthy even while sitting on the couch eating junk food all the time. But that’s not the way God has designed us, and all of creation, to work. We fool ourselves to think we can pull that off. That’s why the scripture warns us not to be deceived. It just doesn’t work that way. If you plant weeds, you get weeds. If you want to eat lettuce and tomatoes and squash, you have to put those seeds into the ground. You have to water them consistently. You have to pull out the weeds that would otherwise choke them out. Whatever you sow, that’s what you reap. We can acknowledge and glorify God by living in harmony with that principle.
One Bible teacher memorably summarized this principle by saying, “You reap what you sow, more than you sow, later than you sow.” No one ever has planted an apple seed in order to make an apple pie that afternoon. We all understand this, yet here we are, looking for the harvest immediately; here we are, giving up on those small habits because we don’t yet see the payoff. At least that’s what I find myself doing, again and again. “If we do not give up.” That’s the caveat.
As I step into this new year (by the way, how is it 2024?!), I’m taking steps to live like I believe these verses, taking steps towards the harvest that will come in due time. And as I enter the garden this spring as a total novice, I’m sure my efforts there will frequently remind me of these verses. May working that soil and tending the seedlings (and even enjoying that fresh asparagus!) serve to encourage me to not grow weary!