Cultivate

Cultivate

Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop.

MY CHILDHOOD HOMETOWN developed around twin lakes connected by a channel. Once a resort destination during the Roaring Twenties, its large, lakeside park draws visitors all summer long. Its large, sandy beach and swimming area marked by buoys, playground equipment, fishing pier, and a wooded hill filled with picnic tables and charcoal grill sites is the perfect setting for gatherings of family and friends.

As the public works director, my dad had his desk in the industrial shop filled with equipment, located near the rear of the park, and one of his many tasks was to make sure the park was tidy and ready for guests each morning. He and his crew rotated Saturday morning park walk-throughs, and he’d bring one of my brothers or me when it was his turn.

We loved those early Saturday mornings with Dad. We picked up the trash people neglected to put into the bins, gathered up towels and beach toys left behind for the lost and found box, all the while chattering away about whatever was important to us that particular week. We didn’t often get time alone with Dad, and we reveled in it, not caring what we were doing but delighting in the time spent. We were too young to realize it, but Dad was intentionally cultivating a relationship with us those early Saturday mornings as we worked alongside one another.

Healthy relationships require the intentional investment of time. And while strong relationships can run on autopilot, being sustained for a season on the strength of past connection, they, too, need cultivation. There is no substitute for time spent doing life alongside one another, intentionally investing in growing and strengthening the bonds tying you together. Cultivating your relationships need not be glamorous, expensive, or at exotic locales. It need only be intentional, filled with listening both for what is said and what is left unsaid.

Lord, what relationships need cultivation, an intentional investment of time and energy? Bring those individuals to my mind today. Amen.

-Julie

One Good Step: Make plans to spend uninterrupted time with a family member or friend whose relationship with you needs an investment of time.