It is more blessed to give than to receive. Acts 20:35, NKJV.
That spring it seemed as if the rain would never stop. Creeks and rivers had overflowed their banks. The floodplains were doing what they are supposed to do during high water-holding the excess water till the flooding ceased. Finally the rain stopped and river levels returned to normal. A few weeks later my friend and his son were exploring along the river and discovered thick plantings of six-inch sugar maple seedlings that had sprouted and were growing on exposed sandbars apparently the floodwaters had transported millions of maple seeds, sorted them, and then planted them on the sandbars. Since they needed some shade trees for their nearly treeless yard, they decided to take what nature was offering. They were not in a hurry.
In one corner of our garden they planted five or six dozen seedlings about a foot apart, thinking that this would make a good tree nursery. A few years later some of the trees had failed to thrive. Some were contorted and not fit to transplant. But a dozen or so trees were straight and tall. Late one fall they transplanted those select trees to various locations in the yard where they had ample room to continue developing into stately sugar maples. Those left on the sandbar probably didn’t survive the next flood. Had they not transplanted a second time, they would have had a crowded stand of weak and spindly trees. The maples have transformed the formerly treeless yard into a beautiful garden.
Sugar Maple
How about you? Are you contributing in self-sacrificing ways to the church community where you are planted? Or are you losing out in your spiritual life, failing to thrive because of being too crowded? Are there too many Christians doing little more than warming the pews once a week? Are you spindly, dwarfed, and not functioning up to the potential that God has in mind for you? Think of how you might benefit by being transplanted to a place of service where you will be challenged to grow in ways that you never imagined possible. What is your mission in life? Where should you be spreading your branches for Christ?
“Lord, is there somewhere that You would like to transplant me to? You know that I want to serve You by helping others. I realize that when I unselfishly serve others, I am the biggest beneficiary.