Restore Issue 15: September 2023

By Contributor Rachael Adams

from my heart to yours

Hello Friends! Happy September!

It’s hard to believe a new month is upon us and fall is just around the corner. (It begins September 23rd, in case you were wondering.)

Fall is my favorite season of all, although in Arizona we don’t get much of one. I am looking forward to putting my fall decorations out and lighting my fall-scented candles.

Just like the seasons of our calendar, we also go through different seasons in our life and our spiritual walk. Some seasons are delightful and easy. Some are hard and uncomfortable. But every season is an opportunity for growth.

We may not always understand why we go through certain seasons or circumstances, but God does. Just as He created the seasons of nature, He orchestrates our seasons as well.

At my kids’ elementary school, they taught the students about the importance of having a growth mindset instead of a fixed mindset. When you have a growth mindset, you are willing to try new things, makes mistakes, and be open to new ideas. Conversely, a fixed mindset means that you choose to stay where you are and not be open to innovation or change.

This month, let’s embrace a growth mindset and pursue new things. Let’s remember that we never face a season or a storm alone. God is always walking alongside us and paving the way for what’s next.

Here’s to growing together!

Question of the Month:

Besides the Bible, what is your favorite resource for spiritual growth?

Daily Grace Co. studies, but especially when reading them alongside other women within an authentic small community group setting!

Claire Turner

The Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) Magazine.

Diana Skeete

Wild at Heart podcast and resources. The Divine Hours by Phylis Tickle.

Phillip Ortiz

The YouVersion app. I love the incredible number of devotion/study plans to choose from, as well as the different Bible translations available.

Amy Benson

The Bible Project.

Lisa Tarno

Devotional books.

Jessii Culp

I love Enduring Word commentary with David Guzik.

Sarah Wood

Devotional and Christian podcasts. Also great apps like Abide.

Nicole Joaquin

In Touch magazine with Charles Stanley and Pathway magazine from Robert Jeffress.

Joanne Potts

My journal/prayer.

Susan Schmersahl

The Bible Project Podcast and Proverbs 31 Ministries.

Sarah Mohr

Podcasts and my hubby!! Dinner with friends!!

Wendy Meadows

The Fruit of Your Labor By Rachael Adams

“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches."

- Matthew 13:31-32

When our family moved to a farm, we were pleasantly surprised to find a raised garden bed filled with fruits and vegetables ripe for picking. I was grateful for the time and care the previous owners took to plant and water the garden. As the new owners, we were able to enjoy the fruit of their labor.

The next spring, it was our turn to plant. As I dropped each seed into the freshly turned dirt, I marveled at their various sizes and shapes. Weeks later, I watched in wonder at the speed they grew and the amount of food that stemmed from something so small.

While the miraculous process of sowing seeds and reaping a harvest was clearly displayed in my garden, it isn’t always so obvious in our lives. Often, we do a good deed, such as praying for a co-worker or spending time playing with a neighbor kid, and never see the tangible results of our efforts. During a conversation with a friend about the desire to see the fruit of our labor, she challenged me with this thought: “Are you okay with being the one to plant the seed and never see the harvest?”

My fleshly answer was no, but I know Scripture encourages me otherwise. In 1 Corinthians 3:6, Paul said that he planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. God is helping me learn to let go of my desire to see a visible outcome and to leave the harvest up to him.

In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus also taught about sowing seeds. In the parable of the sower, a farmer was scattering seed. Some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places and sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow. But, when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no roots. Other seeds fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown (Matthew 13:1:9).

The farmer knew some soil was good and some was not, so he threw the seed liberally enough that the good ground would ensure a plentiful harvest. Even so, the yield wasn’t dependent on the farmer. It was dependent on the condition of the soil where the seed fell. The four soils represent the ways people respond to God’s message, but regardless of how they respond, it is our responsibility to keep sowing the seed.

Jesus told another parable related to sowing in faith. He said, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches" (Matthew 13:31-32).

The mustard seed is one of the tiniest seeds found in the Middle East, yet it is a fastgrowing annual herb that grows up to ten feet tall in just a few short months. While Jesus used this parable to show his kingdom appeared to have small beginnings, it would grow into a worldwide community of believers.

We are already seeing his parable come to fruition. However, there are more seeds to be sown. While our efforts may seem small and we don’t always see the fruit of our labor, it’s important to remember that God is at work. Keep your eyes on the great harvest to come. Continue liberally sowing seeds no matter how small they seem and trust God to help them grow. Who knows who will end up benefiting from the fruit of your labor!

Respond: Plant a seed and watch it grow as a daily reminder of God’s work in your life.

Pray: Lord, thank you for those who have planted and watered seeds in my life. Help my heart to be full of fertile soil. May I be deeply rooted in you. Give me faith to keep planting seeds in the lives of others regardless of whether or not I see the fruit. Remind me that the harvest is plenty, but the workers are few (Matthew 9:37). Amen.

Author of A Little Goes a Long Way* and host of The Love Offering podcast, Rachael Adams hopes to help women realize their God-given purpose and significance.

She and her husband, Bryan, run a family business and farm in Kentucky with their two children, Will and Kate, and two dogs.

Her work has been featured on GMA, Crosswalk, iBelieve, Today Parenting, and YouVersion.

Connect with her by visiting rachaelkadams.com, by searching @rachaeladamsauthor on social media, and by tuning in to The Love Offering podcast every Tuesday on your favorite listening platform

In the Waiting

By Andrea Fortenberry

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

– Galatians 6:9

Much of this year has been a waiting season for me. It has not been easy, but it has been fruitful.

I’ve learned that waiting is an opportunity to stretch and strengthen our faith. We can learn to embrace it or we can fight against it. The choice is ours.

There are two ways we can wait:

Impatiently Fighting It: Have you ever had to wait with a small child in tow? Maybe you’re waiting for the doctor, at the car wash or for the internet to buffer so their show will continue. Children do not like waiting. They want what they want and they want it now!

They will go to great lengths to fight against the wait. They’ll throw themselves on the ground, they will scream or they will pester you for a screen until you relent.

Very often we can look like that as we wait. Instead of trusting that our Father has something good for us (or maybe something even better than we can imagine, ask or think), we try to grab control and make it happen on our terms.

I have a funny story from my childhood: One Sunday we were at church and my brother, two at the time, was being very impatient. I give him credit because the service was so long to a child that a few years later, I asked my mom to give me Dimetapp because “I wasn’t feeling well.” I really just wanted to doze off.

Although he was young, he knew the format of the service because it was the same every week. After everyone had gone up for communion, he started yelling, “It’s over! It’s over!”

My parents tried shushing him, but he insisted that it was over and time to leave. To avoid making more of a scene, we left.

With Contentment, Prayer and Purpose: Waiting may not be our preferred option, but what if we chose to delight in it? What if we planted seeds while we were waiting? What if we used the time to prepare for what God might have next?

Sometimes my kids will tell me they’re ready to leave somewhere, but I come down the stairs to see they’re on their devices. Their shoes aren’t on, the dog isn’t in her kennel, they need to grab a drink, etc. I always tell them they should do those things while they were waiting, because now they’re making me wait on them, and we’re running late.

What if we used our waiting time to prepare and be ready for when God says it’s time?

The waiting doesn’t have to be wasted time. It can be purposeful.

Pastor Craig Groeschel says, “Don’t waste the waiting! A waiting season isn’t a wasted season if you continue to seek and push into God.”

If you’re in a waiting season, ask God what you can do in the waiting. Lean into Him. Ask Him how you can be growing in the meantime.

Also, as hard as it can be, try to enjoy this season. It means God is up to something. He is never late, He’s always on time.

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