“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens …“ (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
By Annette Lambert
When I was a Peace Corps volunteer in The Philippines, I lived in a small rural village. My job was to help the indigenous people who lived there grow rotating crops, and I quickly learned how hard a simple project like growing food could be.
My first attempt was to save fruit tree seedlings from a tree nursery damaged by a typhoon. I replanted the trees along with sowing new fruit seeds. Some of the farmers asked what I was doing. When I told them I was going to eventually give the fruit trees to villagers so they could have food, they told me that they did not want them because they were hungry now.
Plan B was to start my own garden to be able to enjoy the fruits of my labor. Some goats broke through the fence and ate all of the plants except for the okra. At harvest time, I “enjoyed” okra at every meal as a way to show the villagers how much I appreciated eating the vegetables I grew. But after five days, I never wanted to eat okra again.
A week before my assignment was over, I was delighted when I found the local teacher and students planting pineapples and bananas in hopes of selling them to raise money for purchasing school supplies. I’d like to think my example helped open the door to this new initiative.
I encountered many obstacles during my experience, but I had to trust in God’s plan and timing. I realized that I was actually sowing seeds to bear fruits from the Holy Spirit. Those seeds were an investment in the potential of what could be, and I trust that over time, something extraordinary grew in that Filipino village.
Pray
Lord, help us to remember Galatians 6:9: “Let us not become weary doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
Reflect
How is the Holy Spirit working in your life to help you create solutions to the problems facing you today?
Discuss
Reveal about a time when failure led to a successful outcome through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. How did you overcome your doubts and fears to allow God to work through you?
Annette Lambert is a retired natural resource manager. She volunteers as a Stephen Minister at her church and is a member of the WorkLight Fresno Women’s Chapter.