Another Insight from Composting: Multiple Fruits

Another thing I learned from my recent work on our compost pile is how God uses one act of service to produce multiple types of fruit.  I had to move our pile because an Eagle Scout candidate is building us more permanent compost bins. They are going to be where our existing pile was located, so that pile had to be moved. It needed done, I did it for that reason, and it was accomplished. A very concrete good came from that.

But that’s not all that came from it. The things I observed and thought about as I was doing that task were the seeds for the last several posts. Those will hopefully bear spiritual fruit, fruit different in kind from the material goal I was working towards.

I shouldn’t have been surprised by that; examples of that dynamic are found throughout the Gospels. Consider the folks who brought their crippled friend to Jesus (Matthew 9:1-8; Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:17-26). Or consider the centurion who asked Jesus to heal his servant (Matthew 8:5-13; Luke 7:1-10). They sought to accomplish specific acts of service, and they did so, but they also accomplished far, far, more. Their actions became the means for millions to learn about God, something that dwarfs those specific tasks.

OK, so what do we do with that? How do we respond to that dynamic? At least three things come to mind.

The first is obvious: get to work for God and His people. That will not only accomplish  specific things done that need done, it will also give God the chance to show us something that we or someone else needs to know. So get busy.

The second is to ask the Holy Spirit to open you to His instruction as you work. Chances are He will not only show you something beyond the immediate, but He will also help you do a better job at whatever you are doing.

The third is to give the Spirit your undivided attention. I often listen to music or the radio as I work in the garden, but the other day I felt prompted to forgo that. That allowed me to better listen, and good things resulted.