Seeds Only We Can Sow

 "...each of us 'has opportunities that we alone can fulfill.'"

In the last few years, Glen and I have added to our Christmas traditions the reading of "Jacob T. Marley" by William Bennett.  This book is a prequel of sorts to "A Christmas Carol."  Being such a fan of the Dickens novel, I was quite sure I would NOT like this book when our son suggested it to us.  However, after reading it, I realized what a perfect complement it is to Dickens's Christmas Story.  In fact, I prefer to read the Marley story first before the Scrooge story.  Glen prefers to read them in the opposite order.  The two books are so perfectly intertwined either order is perfect.

In "Jacob T. Marley," there is a scene where someone sees Scrooge through the window of his counting house but does not choose to have any interaction with him.  The person goes on to tell someone else, who once knew Scrooge, about the sighting, though.  Watching this happen, unseen, are the spirits of the ghost of Christmas Past and Jacob Marley.

The Ghost tells Marley that the person seeing Scrooge missed an opportunity.  He goes on to say that the person could have gone into the counting house and offered condolences to Scrooge on Marley's death.  When Jacob suggests Scrooge might have chased the man out again, the Spirit tells Jacob that the man's kindness might not have had an effect on Scrooge at that moment, but "that experience might have worked within him."

As more of Scrooge's past flows by, the Ghost goes on to tell Jacob that in life, there are times when two lives are meant to cross paths.  He states that what is meant to be accomplished in those lives can only be done by those two people.  He finishes the discussion by telling Jacob that each of us "have opportunities that we alone can fulfill."

The thought that each of us has "opportunities that we alone can fulfill" pressed upon my mind.  There are counting houses, as it were, that we are meant to go into.  There are people we are meant to interact with if only briefly, to plant a seed, to display a kindness that might work within the heart of another to draw them to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  The tiny seed we plant may be part of what causes their miraculous transformation, just as Scrooge was transformed.

Perhaps our little seed is just a kind word, a cheerful countenance, a helping hand, or a word of encouragement.  We will not know in this life how mighty a tree grows from our little seed, but if done with a good and faithful heart, we can know the Lord will use it to accomplish His will and His way.

Let us keep our eyes open for opportunities to sow seeds wherever we can.  Our world needs love and kindness more than ever, and through Christ, we have an endless supply of both.

"Give, and it shall be given unto you; 

good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, 

shall me give into your bosom.  

For with the same measure that ye mete 

withal it shall be measure to you again."

Luke 6:38