I live an unbelievably blessed life. God has been so much more faithful to me than I to Him, and I really have no idea why. I would like to think that my heart means well, but I know myself well enough to know that isn't always true. For the past year and a half I have spent a lot of time sharing with and praying for my neighbors and looking for opportunities to walk Jesus among them and plant the Kingdom of God right where I live. I have been very intentional about it at times, but the past few months have opened my eyes to something new.
I took a job with the Census Bureau to help cover some living expenses. When I took the job I was under the impression that it was going to be a part-time, flexible hours kind of job that would allow me the time to continue my ministry and make some money as well. It turned out to be a full-time, 9-to-5 kind of job that almost totally sapped all my time and energy. Fortunately, it was temporary and has run its course. In spite of my disengagement from my neighbors and ministry in general, God did some amazing things during that time.
Have you ever planted a seed in a cup (or maybe in a garden) and checked it every day to see if it had sprouted yet? I did this as a kid many times and it always seemed like it took forever to sprout. Sometimes it never did (mostly because I forgot to water it). Some seeds sprout quickly and others take much longer. Nothing that we do can speed up how long it takes for a seed to germinate and sprout up, although there are some things that we do that prolongs the process. God used these past few months to show me that I needed to step back a bit and give Him the time to germinate the Kingdom seeds that Kim and I had planted and watered.
Easter Sunday was the day that we really saw the seeds sprouting. God was bringing spiritual growth and life to our neighborhood and it was so exciting to see. We have tried to be faithful to continue to water the seeds by offering to meet with our neighbors for spiritual discussions and prayer and friendship and in spite of my general disengagement and unavailability lately, God has continued to bring more and more growth.
Kim and Sue (one of our neighbors) planted a garden a few months ago. In fact, it was about the same time that I started my job. It has needed a lot of work, especially preparing the soil and watering and weeding. But it has been so cool to see all these different types of vegetables popping up out of the earth and getting bigger and bigger and bearing fruit. Now we are already beginning to harvest some of the beans and cucumbers. Soon we will have tomatoes, carrots, onions, squash, peppers, and on and on. What an awesome picture God has given us of what He is doing in our neighborhood.
We are now starting to see some fruit in the lives of our neighbors and I know that it is only going to get better and better. Please pray for the Kingdom garden that has been planted in SW Ocala. There is a lot of watering a weeding left to be done, and some spiritual insects will try to come and eat our fruit, but God is so faithful and we are so blessed.
May you begin to prepare the soil, plant the seeds, and water the spiritual garden in the place where God has asked you to be. And may you be patient as you wait for the seeds to sprout. And may you celebrate abundantly as the garden grows and fruit is born.
Blessings,
Shiloh
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