Don’t dig up in doubt what you planted in faith. // Elisabeth Elliot

I’ve seen you planting.

Knees on the ground, dirt under your fingernails.

The creases in your hands are stained a little bit brown even though you wash and rinse. It isn’t because you aren’t clean but because you keep returning to the dirt. You keep on planting.

You kneel down and lean over, taking the seed cupped in your hand and placing it gently in the dirt. And then you cover. You smooth the soil over the seed and wash your hands and water and return each day to water a bit more, but there’s nothing to see but brown soil and brown creases.

I’ve seen you planting. You do it in faith that a seed watered and taken care of will sprout beauty.

And yeah, no, I’m not really talking about a garden here.

I’m talking about your life, the one beautiful, torn up and smoothed down life you’re living. You write the note and cover both sides of the page in tiny words, lick the envelope and send it with a prayer and a hope. You make dinner and set the table for ones that you love. You respond to the text message and make time because people matter most. Watering a seed can look like bringing coffee on a hard day or remembering a birthday. It isn’t grand, it isn’t anything someone would write home about, but it is faithful and good and beautiful.

So now, you listen to me. Don’t you stop. Don’t walk away, don’t stop watering, don’t dig up the seed to see if anything is happening.

Give roots the time they need. The seed is growing but so are you. When you think nothing is happening and when you can’t see beauty coming from the brown dirt, fill up the watering can, turn the tap on, and kneel low. Don’t dig the seed up, just keep showing up.

God is in charge of the growing. It is not your responsibility to bring beauty from ashes or life from death, and that’s really what seeds look like when we get honest about it all. But then we plant in faith and water in faith and tend in faith and the growing? That is all God.

Don’t go digging up what God is growing up. Plant and water and tend and do it all over again. Pray and kneel and show up with another coffee, send up another prayer.

Don’t give up in doubt what you have planted in faith.

GIVEAWAY:

I’m giving away the gorgeous Planted in Faith print, designed by Emily of Joyful Papery. I discovered Joyful Papery this past summer and absolutely love Emily’s work. Every piece is stunning, and I’m thrilled one of you will have this beautiful artwork in a frame or on your wall!

Planted In Faith print