Worth the Effort

I love seeing new growth on my plants.

There’s just something awe-inspiring about a new little sprout poking up out of the ground or a new leaf bud beginning to unfurl. And then there’s the kind of hopeful joy that wells up inside me at the sight of the bright shade of fresh green that characterizes the new growth.

I also feel a sense of accomplishment, that this plant I have worked to nurture is actually thriving, that the time and effort I put into it has paid off. I feel that it was worth all the effort, just to see this new joyful bit of green springing up.

It’s the same with people.

When we are working to nurture others, whether spiritually or physically, new growth is often the thing that makes us feel that all that work was not in vain. 3 John describes this beautifully:

“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth” (4)

There is nothing so rewarding as seeing someone in whom you have invested take steps of growth in their relationship with God.

But growth often comes after much effort and precedes even more effort. Just as my houseplants need pruning, watering, rotating, repotting, and the occasional swipe of a dust rag across the leaves, the Christians in whom we invest also need nurturing if they are to flourish.

That nurturing is often difficult, time-intensive, and requires consistent intentional effort, but in the end, it is always worthwhile. After all, think of how you have benefited from the effort others have poured into helping you grow!

As Christians, our job is not just to share the gospel: it is to help our fellow believers “grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:18)

Who has God put into your life to spiritually nurture in grace and the knowledge of God? Whoever it is, be encouraged this week that, even when that joyful shoot of new growth has not yet appeared, God is at work, and any effort made in obedience to Him will always be worth the effort in the end.

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“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Galatians 6:9