The first is that we are not promised tomorrow, so we have no time to even visit the idea of quitting. The second is that we have the power to carry someone else toward their dreams if we will continue to work.
We have to remember that God's fires were not lit in our hearts without purpose. Our job is to continue planting seeds of hope, work, encouragement, passion, any good thing we have to give. Just like in an actual garden, every seed probably won't take root, but some will, and the harvest can be delicious.
"All the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today." This proverb is certainly true, so we must be mindful to plant. We are not promised that we will actually even see the harvest. Just as every gardener must await the beauty of the blossoms, not one person is guaranteed another day to walk the garden path. Yet the fruits of labor still grow even if the planter cannot see them.
Can we not still taste the fruits of the Apostle Paul's work? the work of Louis Pasteur? Thomas Jefferson? Ben Franklin? Jonas Salk?
In his work to develop a vaccine for the highly contagious disease, polio, Salk must have had times he wanted to quit. He is credited with saying, "I have had dreams and I have had nightmares, but I have conquered my nightmares because of my dreams." So many have reaped the harvest of his continued work through the rapid decline of this debilitating disease. In February 1954, the first round of vaccines was given to school children. There is no way for anyone to know how many lives were saved and how much good has come from the lack of suffering and disease. How different might the world be if men like Salk had let their nightmares dictate their actions?
Months ago, our community was heartbroken by an unexpected tragedy. Two godly young men left us too soon. At the time, so many questions pounded on my heart: Why so young? Why such good men? How will their sweet families cope with losing such wonderful souls? What will happen to their church?
But what I note about these precious gardeners is what lovely seeds they planted. The world will continue to harvest the beautiful flowers of love, faith, friendship, and hope they scattered. They planted and tended to their dreams in such a way that they left a legacy for their young wives and children. They helped raise up young people in their church and community. They left here a garden of beauty which will not die away but will continually reproduce itself.
I believe that is what God expects of us all-- that we continue in our work because even if we don't see the fruit of the dreams we plant, we may help to make another soul's dream come true.
From dreamer to dreamer, keep planting, keep tending, and may God give you Grace, Love, and a Bountiful Harvest.
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