Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Planting Seeds

One time I went to the local music store to simply buy one music book or a piece of sheet music. When I was about to check out, the salesman asked me if he could show me a couple of used pianos he had in the back. Even though I was only there to buy some music, I loved the brand of piano he mentioned so I said, sure, I always love looking at pianos. So I went back and tried them out and he wasn't pushy or anything, just let me play the pianos. But just before I left the store, he said he wanted me to play this piano they had in the front, a brand new Petrof piano. I had never heard of the brand and so I said, sure -- I didn't see any harm in trying out a piano. But when I started playing that Petrof, it was like piano heaven to me. It felt so different from my own piano and it was so great, like walking on the clouds. I left the store, but for months afterward, I couldn't stop thinking about that Petrof. I tried telling myself that I didn't need it because I already had a piano, but I just couldn't stop thinking about how it felt to play it. I started saving my money and a few months later, I went back to that store and bought the Petrof. That salesman had planted a seed in my mind that grew and grew over time. He didn't push it on me, he simply mentioned it and let me try it out. But he made a sale by planting that seed.

As Christians, we can and should plant seeds by telling people about Jesus. After some time, that seed might get watered and fertilized and then start growing into something beautiful. It's not our job to make it grow, because only God can do that. But our job is to plant, or maybe water and fertilize. My husband didn't grow up in a family that went to church. But when he was a teenager, a lady at his job asked him one day if he thought he would go to heaven if he died. He told her yes, he thought he would because he was a good person. This gave her the opening to explain to him that being a good person wouldn't get him into heaven and she was able to tell him about Jesus and share some Bible verses with him. The seed was planted. It made him start wondering what else the Bible had to say, so he started reading it and he started going to church. So the seed was then getting watered and fertilized. Through all this, he became a Christian. That sweet lady at his job took a few minutes out of her day to plant a seed that grew and resulted in my husband becoming a Christian. And because he started going to that particular church, he met me. It's so neat to look back and see how God works things out in our lives. I don't know about you, but I need to start planting some seeds!

I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 1 Corinthians 3:6-7

12 comments:

Missy said...

We will never know the seeds we planted until we get to heaven. Ray Boltz had a song out several years ago that talked about the people we will get to meet whose lives we touched but may never have known about. That is one of those things I look forward to as often there isn't evidence that I've even planted anything!

Thank you, Kathy! Glad you enjoyed your weekend last week. Sounds like a great way to spend the day.

Amel said...

I never thought about this, so THANKS for sharing this. I LOVE the whole post, starting from the piano until the verse. :-))))

By the way, I decided to cut my own hair last night...go and take a look at my new hairdo HI HI HI HI...Yeah, I'm CRAZY!!!

Stylin said...

Thats a great post.
When we push Jesus down peoples throats they willl reject it

bp said...

How true! I like to think that maybe my blog is a way of planting seeds too.

sister sheri said...

Kathy - very insightful. You have quite a gift!

Pilgrim said...

Beautiful Kathy. I'm so driven by results that I fail to see the simple acts like you've just laid out. Thanks for the inspiration, time to start gardening.

Ross said...

As the kids on the street would say, "B-I-N-G-O and Bingo was his name-o!"

2 notes that I can't help but add for hungry readers everywhere, though:

1) "Sowing" doesn't mean acting weird. By ALL means, sow! But still be yourself and do it in a way that suits YOU, not what you think you're "supposed" to do.

2) Sow generously!!!!!

Cliff said...

Every seed grows at it's own speed, and it also depends on the soil it's planted in, how it's prepared,and how you feed the soil.

If after you plant the seed, you throw trash over that, the seed cannot grow.

I remember working a part time job where one of my co-workers would use language that would make a hooker blush. then later in the shift he would tell someone who was in earshot that they should trust Jesus as their personal savior. In my opinion, that would be throwing seed on rock because the earlier language most likely hardened any heart that would be receptive.

If the language happens after the witness, that's like throwing trash over the seed.

Either way the seed cannot grow.

Lori said...

Thank you for sharing this. I need to get back to doing just that. Planting seeds.

Blessings,

Lori

Stylin said...

Hi Kathy
My weird stories could fill a page!!!

live love laugh hope said...

Hehe Seems we were both thinking about planting seeds.

Kentucky Bound said...

I have a plaque hanging in my kitchen that my MIL gave me. It simply reads "Anyone can count the seeds in an apple. Only God can count the apples in a seed".

Thank you for your beautiful post!