“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Lamentations 3:21-23 ESV
I was in the garden early on a Friday morning in June, harvesting the first of the snapdragons to sell at the growers' market. The air was cool, crisp, and clear, and the snaps were fragrant and stunning. There were Rocket, Madame Butterfly, and Chantilly varieties, and I'd waited patiently for this day to come. They were just so beautiful!
As I was harvesting these lovely blooms, a thought came to me. "If you cut them all today, you may not have any next week. All that hard work for one week of snaps at the market. Maybe you should hold some back for next week." I suppose that years of frugality and stretching resources is what the thought stemmed from. But here's the thing: while it is truly good to steward what we have well, the flip-side is that when taken too far, it can become stinginess. And while God never wastes a thing, He is also the furthest thing there is from stingy. He is the God of abundance and generosity. And He spoke precious things to me in that moment in the garden, the beginnings of which I will share with you.
But what He told me next touched my soul. It's what I started this post with, but it's so much more. The repercussions and applications have a ripple effect.
Don't be afraid to take hold of and share the blessings the Lord brings into your life. They won't run out.
Those flowers...the ones He made to grow from the seeds I planted, were blessings from Him to me. And from Him to my customers. To bring us joy and wonder and delight in His creation. That's why I planted them! And my job was to grab hold of what He offered me and share it with others without reservation. In my stinginess, I was afraid the blessings would end if I seized them all. But do you know what? I've harvested snaps every week since then - that's almost three months of snapdragons! His blessings don't run out! They will change. I will not be harvesting snaps weekly for the rest of my life. But that's kind of the point, isn't it? While the blessings are there, take hold of them! Embrace them! Share them! Don't hold back! And when it's gone you will have no regrets of wasted blessings. Of holding on to what was meant to be shared.
“freely ye have received, freely give.”
Matthew 10:8b KJV
I do believe God was teaching me about farming in that moment, but I don't believe that was all He was teaching me about. He was teaching me about embracing and sharing ALL the gifts He places in my path. I want to live that way in ALL of my life! When He brings blessings of ANY type into my life, I want to see them for what they're meant to be - blessings from Him to be thankful for and to be freely embraced and shared.
Home
Flowers
Smiles
Hugs
And always, Jesus.
He has blessed me with those things, not to hide in a safe place to "save," but to share. Smiles, hugs, flowers...they seem like small things. Insignificant. But that's not truth. You know this. That day when your heart was breaking and your world seemed to be crumbling? What did that smile, or hug, or bloom, or invitation mean to you? What if the person who blessed you had decided to be stingy with those things?
It reminds me of the parable of the talents in Matthew 25. The servants who were faithful with what God had shared with them received more from the Master. But the servant who hid what he'd been given to steward had that very thing taken away from him. Lord, help me to be a faithful, joyful steward.
I want to be like the little boy in John 6. Jesus wanted to feed five thousand men, plus women and children. What resources did they have? Well, some little boy had a good mama. She made him a lunch of five barley loaves and two fish. And that sweet boy didn't hide in the corner to eat what he'd been given. He gave his lunch to Jesus. And everyone ate (see John 6:1-14). Lord, please help me to share what you've given me without reserve.
We never know how long the blessings that are in our lives today will last. Maybe only for today. Maybe for a season. Rarely are they available our whole lives. Who besides God knows this? So ... Carpe diem! Seize the day! Embrace today's blessings without reserve! Share them with generosity and joy.
And then what? Get ready, keep your eyes open, and watch for the next thing. There's always something beautiful to be shared.