When we moved to Jefferson City, the housing market was rather difficult. Very few homes were available in the price range and size we desired, so we made an offer on a house in the process of being built. The size and layout seemed sufficient for our family, but since the exterior bricks had not been laid yet, we didn’t even know what the finished house would look like. Regardless, we liked the quiet neighborhood, the trees in the back yard, and the proximity to the office, so we moved forward and purchased the house. Thankfully, the bricks ended up looking really nice!
We learned quickly that when you buy a new house, it oftentimes doesn’t come with a yard full of grass. Instead, it comes with a whole lot of dirt. Someone comes and adds dirt where it’s needed, makes it real nice and smooth, plants seeds, covers all the dirt and seed with hay (which makes me sneeze!), and then leaves. There’s no grass – just a bunch of dirt.
Then, the contractor calls and says, “If you want grass, you’ll need to water the yard every day.” In my mind, I’m thinking, “We don’t have a yard, we have a bunch of dirt. So, I guess I’m supposed to water the dirt.” And that’s exactly what we did – we watered the dirt. Every. Single. Day.
After several days, guess what happened. Absolutely nothing – no grass. So, we kept watering. Day after day we watered the dirt, and day after day we saw no tangible results. After more than a week, I started to wonder if the seed had blown away! I wondered if all our labor was in vain! I wondered if we would ever have grass. I wondered if we were just watering dirt.
One Monday morning as I was leaving town for the day, Tara and I stood in the driveway, admiring all our dirt, and joking about how grass would likely never grow. Incredibly, though, by that very afternoon our yard looked green! Grass sprang up everywhere and grew to about an inch quickly. Tara texted and said, “We have grass!” I thought, “No way – that’s impossible.” But it was true. Within 12 hours, we went from watering dirt to having grass.
Guess what happens when you see the fruit of your labor? You get excited about watering the grass! Our effort was not in vain. The seed had not blown away. Throughout our entire season of doubt, the seed was preparing to sprout. To our great surprise and joy, we weren’t just watering dirt – we were nourishing the seed. And now our water bill will likely be rather high – because when you see the fruit of your labor, you’re excited to keep watering!
To all our faithful pastors and ministry leaders throughout Missouri, I know full well that sometimes it seems like you’re watering dirt. I know you wonder if your labor is in vain. I know you’re curious if the seed has even been planted.
Be encouraged to remain faithful, continue watering the dirt, trust the Lord with the results, and know for certain that your labor matters greatly. In fact, it matters eternally. At any moment, on any given day, you may very well see the fruit of your labor. Until that day, keep watering.