Lessons from the Strawberry Transplanter - Lowell Yoder

Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA

This morning we’ll be talking about everyday life… the thread of eternity runs through our ordinary lives.

There are several common issues that arise during the process of transplanting these little baby strawberry plants.

Lend A Hand to the Struggling

Despite the snail’s crawling pace, often one of the planters will fall behind in getting all of his plants into the holes. As a planter gets behind the problem gets worse as there is further to reach.

There are several ways to catch back up. You can whistle to the driver who can slow down or stop. Or the person across the row can take care of a plant or two for his partner.

We all are frail human beings. We have problems. We either need help now, or we will soon need help. Jesus knew this, and He worked to teach this to His disciples. Wash each other’s feet.

We often get so focused on the things we are doing, our own life struggles, to notice our brother struggling. Take time, and be intentional.

Seeing From Another Perspective

The planting season is quite stressful. It needs to be done in a timely way. It needs to be done properly.

When issues arise it is easy to blame the tractor driver. When you’re on the planter you can’t see down the row. The tractor driver often has a better overall view of things.

In everyday life, there is something about our perspective that limits our ability to see the whole picture. There are often times when we don’t see the full picture.

Hindrances Hinder

There are numerous ways that hindering happens during the transplanting. There are things outside of our control and then there are preventable issues.

In life, we have these same types of hindrances too. The normal circumstances of life that we have to navigate, but at times we pull things into our lives that make our lives more difficult.

There are better things coming. There is hope for the future. The example of Jesus and the strength that He gives us each day is the best resource we have for making it through this tough world.

Stay Current

The best way to plant strawberries is to plant slightly ahead of where you need to be. If you can be reaching forward to put your plant in the coming hole, it makes recovering so much easier, there is more room for error.

Spiritually we can be much more effective planters if we live in a constant current state. Constant awareness of the passing of time, the seriousness of life, making our moves count.

Jesus says that He is “coming soon.” We don’t know exactly when that’ll be. Life is often shorter than we expect. Stay current.

Scriptures used – Isaiah, Matthew 25:40, Hebrews 13, Romans 12:10, Ephesians 4:29, 1 Peter 4:13, 1 Peter 5:10, Hebrews 12:1-3, Revelation 22:20

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