Waymaker, Breadbaker
Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 2 Corinthians 9:10-11
God is the god of the entire process. Sometimes, we think God gives us certain abilities or positions and then leaves us to figure out what to do with them, just waiting to judge us for any mismanagement. The parable of the talents was hammered pretty hard in the church services of my youth and definitely instilled this belief. If you’re unfamiliar with the parable, the gist is this: stewards are entrusted with the management of assets. If the investor comes back and those assets have not been stewarded well and used to yield an increase, there’s going to be a problem.
The steward represents us, and the assets represent the talents, wealth, and opportunities God has given us as individuals. The investor represents God. The parables are far more nuanced and complex than the simplistic way I’m summarizing. You can read it for yourself at Matthew 25:14-28 or here.
Because of the many anxiety-inducing sermons about this topic, I have spent copious hours wondering if I’m stewarding my time/talents/treasure well enough to be deemed faithful and acceptable. Maybe you’ve never been concerned about it, but I went to a lot of church as a kid and felt very threatened by it. While you’re growing up and discovering your natural abilities, the pressure of using these newly discovered gifts to their best advantage for God’s grand purposes is daunting.
I’ve seen myriad opportunities come and go. Some I squandered, some I failed, and some I used well. I think of how I could have better managed my time and talents. You know how say your life flashes before their eyes at a near-death experience? I wonder if it’s a montage of all your missed opportunities, a horror show of what God intended versus what you actually did. Regret is the worst. I have trouble believing God would inflict it on us. If he does, it’s momentary. Revelation says he will wipe every tear from our eyes (Revelation 21:4). Maybe they’re tears of regret. We see what could have been and realize how badly we jacked up the plan.
Wow. That got dark - as it does when one considers one’s past and wonders, “What if?” Try not to do that. Paul says, “I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead” (Philippians 3:13 NLT). Amen, brother.
I find 2 Corinthians 9 so very comforting because it states that God not only supplies the seed but he also supplies the bread. He is the God of the entire process. He doesn’t hand us the seed and then wash his hands of us. He’s in it from before the plant is even in the ground. The tiny baby thought of a plan is his. He is the inception. He’s integral to the initial planting, the growth, and the harvest. As one who has killed many a plant, I assure you there are many hazards to navigate when getting a plant from seed to full grown. There are missed waterings, itty bitty bugs, mildew, and being in the wrong soil or light. Hazards are everywhere.
As much as I’m not a farmer, I’m even more not a breadmaker, but I do know that there’s quite a process between harvesting the plant and being able to eat it. Here’s exactly what I know about making bread: leathery ladies in the European countryside knead dough with their knotted knuckles for half a day whilst their stooped husbands slowly walk golden fields of waist-high wheat. Or else it’s made in a metal vat in a factory.
Take heart if you neither know how to make bread nor how to bring your time and talent to its most fruitful end. It is not all up to you. God is part of the entire process.
A parent who has just taught their child to peddle a tricycle wouldn’t say, “Okay, I did my part. What you do with future transportation is now up to you. Good luck.” No. That parent will continue to teach them as they progress from tricycle to bike to car. She is there for the entire process, guiding her child’s growth, warning them of dangers, and facilitating their mastery of skills.
We are God’s children. He doesn’t say, “Here’s your potential. Figure it out.” No. He gives us the talent, abilities, desires, and opportunities; then, he equips us with his own Holy Spirit to guide our growth, warn us of danger, and encourage our successful stewardship of every gift God has given. He is not just a good parent. He’s the best parent. In Deutoronomy, we’re told not to be “…be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” (31:9 NLT) He’s in it for the whole thing, start to finish. You don’t have to figure any of it out on your own. Just ask him.