Put it in the ground....

Yesterday, while I was running, (Yes, actual excercise) I noticed something strange about our avocado trees. You see, we planted those trees about four or five years ago and although they had grown to about 6 feet tall, we had never seen any kind of flower and we wondered if they would ever produce anything. Well, yesterday, I noticed that one side of the tree was full of the cutest little avocados you have ever seen. Some are about the size of a nickle. Wow, this certainly is a lesson in planting and harvesting.

Way back, when we were about to plant these trees, some friends warned us to have some realistic expectations. "Avocado trees take a long time to produce" was their warning. To be honest, that was a little disheartening to me. I questioned whether or not I was willing to wait that long. Should I even bother?

Do you ever feel that way about your ministry or your church? It's going to take forever for this new group to get off the ground. It will be years before we ever see any fruit or growth. Is it worth the wait? It will be years before these people change and are willing to make real changes in the lives?

Well, here's my thought. Start it! Plant it! Make the long-term investment. If it's going to take a few years to actually see some fruit, then you had better hurry up and get it in the ground!