A Farmer’s Expectation
June 9, 2013
A couple of weeks ago I mentioned our family would be moving soon. Soon is now SOON! The clock is ticking. Last weekend we emptied out half our house and moved our son into his first apartment. Next week, our daughter leaves for camp in Mississippi and then the true countdown begins. Packers and movers will arrive and we will start our journey South. I am trying to decide what goes, what stays, what will be placed into storage and what we will need until we see all our “stuff” again in September.
During this time “in between” here and there, I’ve also been studying the book of James. A friend of mine in Mississippi is teaching it in her church so I’ve been a long distance learner with her group, texting and emailing my thoughts and questions. Of course everything right now is filtered through my moving lens so it didn’t take long for me to get a lesson about where I am and where I am going.
James 1:1 (told you it didn’t take long)
“James, a bond servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ to the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings!”
Feeling blessed already? Well, I did too when I read the word “dispersed” literally means, “through a sowing”. The Greek word “diaspora” became a technical term referring to Jews living outside the land of Palestine. James’s primary audience was those who were scattered (“sown”) because of current persecution.
Now, I’m not being persecuted and exiled to the South, but the term “through a sowing” tugged at my heart. The following thoughts are from my personal journal:
“Through a sowing… – a farmer sowing seeds popped into my head. He’s an older man and scattering the seed by hand. He knows the boundary lines of the field and doesn’t cast his precious seed (these are life bearers!) beyond where they will be useful. He expects them to land in the dirt – they have no say where they will be thrown. The farmer also expects the seeds to grow and produce fruit and then, more seeds.
James was writing to “dispersed” Jews and they needed to grow in Christ and actually needed to produce a bumper crop of new believers.
Seven years ago, I was “dispersed” to Pennsylvania. God was clear before I left Mississippi when he said, “Go and bear fruit”. At the time, that was the very last thing I wanted to hear Him say. I was so overwhelmed by the thought of leaving all I had ever known, I would have rather God said, “Go and rest there and I will send you a bunch of angels who will make sure you have a smooth transition.” But it didn’t exactly happen that way because His plan was for me to grow deeper and reach people in places I couldn’t even imagine.
And now, He’s doing it again. When I land in Tennessee, I know it will take a while to get settled, but once there, I also know what the Farmer expects me to do. (ct)
If you’ve been dispersed to the land “in between” for a while now – for more than a couple of growing seasons, check your branches. Are you bearing fruit?
“My father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples.” John 15:8