To all the moms and women in Lifespring who serve others so generously and in countless ways – we want to wish you a Happy Mother’s Day. I think for many of us, as we think back on our own spiritual journey, we can name women and spiritual mothers in our lives who made an impact on us, prayed for us, and nurtured our faith. So for all the ways that mothers care and serve and love, we want to say a big thank you.
At Lifespring, we are blessed to have so many people who are willing to serve those around them generously. I think at the core of being a mother is a heart to care for and nurture others. This caring and nurture can take many forms and be expressed in different ways. Some people have the gift of hospitality and can serve others by creating a welcoming and warm environment or even serving food. Some people have a pastoral gift, and have a heart to walk with others in life and encourage them. Some people have administrative gifts, and can care for others by making sure that things run smoothly. Some may have the gift of working with kids and helping to build up their faith.
At the heart of all these ways of serving is a desire to nurture and care for the people and things around us. And a mother’s heart is never to do this for selfish gain. Rather, the heart behind it is to see the people and things around us thrive and be fruitful.
But I think that Paul gives us a good reminder about fruitfulness in talking about his own work serving others. In 1 Corinthians 3:6-7, Paul compares his own ministry to that of a farmer trying to cultivate and nurture a crop. He says,
“I planted, Apollos watered, but God made it grow.”
He goes on to say,
“Because of this, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but the only one who is anything is God who makes it grow.”
Many of us have been blessed with so many good things. Whether its children, jobs, finances, or otherwise, there are many good things that God has put into our hands.
Often, however, when something valuable and good is placed into our hands, one of our most natural instincts is to try to hold on to those things tightly. In an effort to care for and protect those good things, we often end up closing our hands. What started as an open hand can become a clasped fist. Because we know the value of the thing in our hand, we want to care for it and hold it as tightly as possible.
But Paul gives us an important reminder to keep things in perspective. In talking about his own ministry, he says that neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but the only one who is anything is God who makes it grow. For all our efforts to care for and nurture the people and things around us, we need to remember that true fruitfulness only comes from God.
It is for this reason that we need to hold things with an open hand toward God. As God blesses us with good things, and as we desire to care for them and nurture them and see them grow, we need to always keep things in perspective. We cannot clasp our hands into a fist around those things that we care about so dearly. Instead, we need to hold them openly toward God so that He can bring about fruitfulness. As God continues to bless us in amazing ways, may we always hold these things with an open hand toward God and in a spirit of trust.