Recently I was remembering something I had heard a while back that got me thinking about something. It was something I found so intriguing that I had to find out if it was true, and low and behold, it is. Maybe you already know this fact, but there is one particular tree, the Chinese Bamboo, that when it is planted, it lies dormant for four years, and then in the fifth year, the tree starts to grow. Not only that, but it grows at a staggering rate. In fact, the Chinese Bamboo tree can reach a height of 90 feet in a mere five weeks! Can you imagine something growing nine stories tall in five weeks?
So I started thinking about things I did, or said to someone five years ago. And I started wondering if those things are (or will be) having some kind of effect on someone else now. Who knows? I’m convinced that this is such a common occurrence that we often don’t even realize it’s taking place. This is why I believe the things we do and say, might not change the world, but they might just change “somebody’s” world.
As Christians, we are called to do many things. One of those things is to evangelize, to spread the good news, to help others to see and understand who Christ is. We do that not only with our words, but also with the way we live our lives and what others are seeing in us. It’s the same thing we hear and read about so often in scripture, which so often talks about planting seeds. But the truth it that sometimes it goes the opposite way too.
In this day and age, with technology at the forefront of most of our lives, we are often bombarded with what I refer to as “technology seeds”. What I mean is this. How many other web pages did you look at today before you landed on this one? How many emails did you read today? How many texts did you get sent? How many commercials did you see on TV today? If you’re like me, the answer to each one of those is probably quite a few. And I’m not even one who gets a high volume of texts or emails. My point is this. Did any of those things bring any positive value to your life? Don’t get me wrong. I’m not against technology or judging anyone who uses technology. In fact, without it, I wouldn’t be able to even put this out there for everyone to read, right?
A friend of mine, as a result of a group conversation we were having, commented that we need to be using our technology for good and positive things. For example, along with the multitude of texts we send each day, how about texting someone to let them know you’re praying for them? Along with your Facebook friends, why not include some Christian Facebook pages? How many Christian blogs (including this one) are you checking out? If you’re on Pinterest, I can tell you firsthand, there is an endless amount of Christian and Catholic boards out there to follow. These are all places where we can harvest those good seeds. Not only that, but seeds we can share with others because that’s what seeds are meant for…planting. So if you are already utilizing these “technology seeds” for your own good and the good of others, congratulations and keep it up.
And you know, even when we do take the time to plant those seeds, just like the Bamboo tree, we might not see any results for years. In fact, sometimes we might not see any results at all. Yet, we still keep on planting those seeds. And the next time you think you’re not seeing any results, just remember that Chinese Bamboo. Keep planting seeds!
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