“Because the one who sows to his flesh will reap destruction from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit. Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.”

Galatians 6:8-10 CSB

Dear Danielle and I have been doing a ton of gardening. We’re both jumping into this thing full swing without a huge knowledge base of what we’re doing, all while learning a ton along the way. I’ve really enjoyed it, minus the humidity and billions of gnats that fly into my eyeballs, but it has been a blast because we get to prepare the soil, sow the seeds, and then harvest something beautiful.

I think that’s beautiful. Scripture continually uses imagery of agriculture, and I believe this is intentional as it continually reminds us that life is about cycles of sowing and reaping.

This moment in Galatians comes after the well-known Scripture of the fruit of the Spirit, where Paul states that when we are connected to Christ, our life bears good fruit. In this part of the Scripture, Paul helps us to know that it is hard work, but that we should never tire of doing good.

For the past year, I’ve been in a very tiring season. New parent here, and while we are pretty great if I do say so, there is a lot happening in this journey. Joy-filled and care-filled, and the reason we press into being the best parents possible, is to help sweet Violet have the best life possible.

We sow the seeds we deem important, so make sure you have good seeds.

I want to be a good dad, so that means making steps to be a kind, loving, and engaged dad. Seems a bit of a simple concept, right? All too often though, we can miss the mark on doing good. Doing good doesn’t always serve you first, when we put ourselves first, pride comes in and begins to warp our perspective of the world around what serves us rather than how we can serve others.

Doing good requires hard work and perseverance.

Part of the gardening process, we needed good soil, so we ordered it, and we may have gotten a bit more than we needed. So, we had a mound of dirt in the driveway for a good bit, each night after putting Vi down, I would shovel and move the dirt to the right spot. There were many times the first couple of days, where it felt as if I wasn’t actually making progress or if some spell made the pile stay the same, but as I kept pressing on, the pile was conquered.

It was a picture of what this past year has looked for me personally, not just fatherhood, but in ministry too. I was in a blast where I was working hard and trying to care well for the people placed in front of me, but it didn’t feel like I was moving the ball at all and that was hard. There was a moment early on where I wanted to cut, but I wanted to shepherd well during transition because that is the call of ministry, you see doing good requires much of us and we might not see any reward because of it.

The proper time isn’t always set in stone, and that’s okay.

As I transitioned from one environment, I don’t have the puzzle piece for what’s next, all I knew is to trust God and leave what no longer desired my heart. I’ve always wanted to plant a pumpkin and have it ready in time to carve for Halloween, and so, I planted pumpkin seeds in the week after I left my ministry position.

What’s a little bit funny to me, is the directions are vague on the little seed packet. “Plant towards the end of way or in June,” I wish it were more like a Lego direction and tell me to plant it on a certain date, but much like life, you have to trust sometimes. We made a mound in a good spot, prepped the soil, and then went for it. Now I get to care for the plants and in the fall, have a pumpkin ready to harvest. No time set in stone for when to plant or harvest, just to plant and water until the right day comes.

I think that’s what God wants all of us to do, be rooted in truth and do good works, until the right day comes and we get to see the splendor of the season.

It’s going to be messy, life is always messy, and you will make mistakes (including me) but God calls us to do good works and trust in Him. Love others well and fight the pride that wants to root itself within you. Make sure you water and care for yourself by stepping away from a screen and reading the words of Scripture, you’ll thank me for that.

I don’t know where God is calling me or why this season is where it is, but I know that Christ loves me and I will continue to pour that love out to others.

I’ll keep writing here, and I hope these words encourage you and cause you to love others a little bit better. Stay in the fight, love no matter what life has done to you, and remember that there is splendor of the seasons we find ourselves in.

Your pastor and friend, Joshua.

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About the Author: Joshua Thomas is a husband, father, and pastor doing what he can to love others the way Jesus did. You can find him reading a good book, sipping warm tea, taking pictures, or dreaming. He may not have it all figured out, but the journey is the best part. You can find him on the only social media he uses, Bluesky and Instagram