Vineyard of the Lord
Note: Click here to listen to the audio recording
~3 min read
I was scrolling through Instagram a while back and I come across a post from Kier Gaines where he shared a couple of images from a photo and video shoot with LeBron James’ production company. The images were rich and deep and Kier appeared enthusiastic and authoritative with the message he was sharing. I was so excited to see this new opportunity for him and I commented something to the effect of: “I’m so excited for you Kier. The seeds you’ve been planting are really popping off”. And suddenly, my very own writing hit me clear in the chest.
That’s how all of this happens. I’ve been following Kier’s journey on social media since 2020 and I’ve watched every YouTube video he’s ever made and engaged with almost all of his Instagram content in one way or another. And it is clear he has been tilling the ground and planting seeds steadily, one project at a time, to build a career and life he is proud of.
It was the exact reframe for how I need to think about the work I am embarking on. I look at the ideas I have and think “oh I need this to work out ASAP so I can grow this business to support myself and do the work I really want to do right now”. But that’s not how seeds work. I’m not the Creator of the universe where I can speak something into existence and it appears in its full and complete form. I am the creation and therefore, the ideas I have and the things I envision will have to grow from scratch. I can’t bring forth a fully grown tree just by thinking, wishing, hoping, and even praying for it to appear. But I can plant an acorn and tend to its environment in a way that supports its growth into a strong and hearty oak tree.
The same applies to any other endeavor I want to pursue. With the career and life I want to have. I must plant all along the way. No matter the present (or even past) circumstances. Regardless of whether or not I have the job I want, or if my community feels small, or if the money isn’t all there. I have to keep planting and watering and tending and the sprouts will come. The plants will grow. And the fruit will bear.
And at the end of the day, no matter how much work I put in, the glory belongs to God because I can’t make the sun shine, I can’t make the rain fall, I can’t create the soil. That is all His work. I’m am merely a worker in His vineyard. So anything I grow belongs to Him.
Colossians 3:17 — And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
1 Corinthians 3:6-8 — I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor."
Connection Question: What seeds are you planting right now? Or what seeds would you like to begin planting? Let me know, I’d love to connect with you about it.
