How To Make An Impact
Plant A Tree
The old saying goes:
When is the best time to plant a tree? Twenty years ago.
When is the next best time to plant a tree? Today.
I’m approaching my sixtieth birthday and knowing I’ve lived six decades floors me. I wish I’d invested money when I was younger. I wish I’d written more words for the past thirty years. I wish I’d memorized Scripture since I became follower of Jesus.
That would have been the best.
But the next best time to do those things? Yep. That’s right. That would be today.
What “tree” do you wish you had planted earlier?
Ed Morton, my Pampaw proudly standing by his newly planted tree.
Plant That Tree
The importance of planting the tree NOW is perfectly illustrated by the beautiful Blue Spruce in front of our family’s Colorado vacation cabin.
My grandparents bought this cabin when I was six years old and our entire family treasures it. Much remains as I remember it from childhood. The cozy cabin, meticulously kept, overflows with family heirlooms from great and great-great grandparents. The old swing on the front porch continues to be the most-coveted nap spot and the fire pit out back hosts gatherings where marshmallows are burnt and stories are told.
And the front yard hosts that tree I told you about. We have a picture of my grandfather, Pampaw, proudly standing beside the newly planted tree. On a shelf, we also display a picture of my grandparents in front of that tree several years later. Now, our family has never been known for towering height, so I would say the tree stands about five and a half feet tall in the second picture.
Mamaw and Pampaw in front of their tree, dressed for church. Aren’t my grandparents cute?
Today the tree towers at least forty feet above the cabin. Its limbs stretch across the front yard offering shade and protection. Critters from birds to squirrels to chipmunks find shelter and sustenance from this tree.
My grandparents never saw the heights the tree attained. Considering their age when they planted it, I doubt they assumed they would. But they planted this tree anyway, for their children and grandchildren. Now their great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren play in its shade and observe its beauty.
We might attempt, in any number of ways, to light a candle to combat the growing darkness. We might offer love in return for hate. We might speak hope instead of cynicism.
But do any of these seeds matter?
What I believe deeply is that EVERY seed we sow matters even though we will probably never see or understand the fruit that comes until it is revealed eternally.
What Can We Plant
We might never see the fruit of the work we do for Jesus, whether we pray or evangelize or teach a class or love a particularly difficult person.
We might turn the other cheek and give away our coat, yet wonder what we are doing it for? Did it really matter or make a difference?
We might give sacrificially to ministries, but never know how our money was put to use or if it made an impact.
We might travel on a mission trip and paint walls or dig a well. But did we make any real eternal difference in their lives?
We might write a book. We might create art. We might deliver delicious food. We might compose songs. We might put Scripture up on social media. But we might also question if it mattered in the big scheme of eternity.
Plant: Even When It Hurts
As our world continues to hurtle down the tracks toward Crazy Town, we might be tempted to find a place to run and hide. Sort of like when the hurricane approaches and the sirens howls and the wind threatens, the only sane response is to find shelter and fast.
But when spiritual hurricanes approach and living a life for Jesus is no longer easy and we are scared out of our minds, we shouldn’t hide. (Well, we can hide in Jesus, but that won’t keep us from doing the next thing!)
Instead we should face the wind with a shovel in one hand and the seeds of the Lord in the other. Martin Luther said, “Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would fall to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.”
We don’t know the timeline or outcome of today’s challenges. Ecclesiastes 11:4 says, “He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.” If we look at our surroundings, we might never sow a single seed. So we must be brave and plant now, regardless of the weather.
I love Psalm 126, which is a song of restoration. It recalls when the Lord takes sorrows and turns them around and does great things for His people. But, during the challenges before He shows up, some of the people were twiddling their thumbs, waiting.
But there were others - the faithful - that kept planting even though it hurt!
Look at this tree now! It is the very same tree that generations have loved and been blessed by.
He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him. Psalm 126:5-6 ESV
Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!
So Let’s Get Planting
Whatever precious seed or sapling you hold in your hand, plant it for the Lord.
Plant it for the generations to come.
Plant it for the fruit that you might not ever see.
Keep praying that prayer.
Keep writing those words.
Keep singing that song.
Keep loving that soul.
Keep making that casserole.
And then let’s stand back and see what the Lord will do with it long after we are gone.
Hosea 10:12 - Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.