Today I was reminded of something that happened several years ago when Bryson went to a Christian school in Cleveland. He and his family were preparing to move to Dayton, therefore Bre decided to have Bryson switch to home school for the rest of the year. This would help them make the move without having to drive back and forth to Cleveland each day to take him to school. It was a two hour round trip. With the decision made, we scheduled an appointment with the principal to discuss the move to homeschool.
I loved that principal; she was so kind and carried the presence of God. However, when we went in to speak to her about this decision, I saw something on her face that caused me to excuse myself and walk outside to pray.
You see, the tuition for homeschool was a third of what his in-school tuition was. This meant the school would be losing the monies they were counting on. The principal said several families had made the decision to home school for the rest of the year in the past couple months. What I perceived on her face was, “oh my goodness, we are losing another student, which means we are losing more money.”
It appeared to be the final straw for her, and it showed on her expression.
As I said, I walked outside to seek the Lord. He was quick to give instructions – I walked back into her office. “Here is what I would like to do” I began. “Instead of his tuition, I would like to send a donation to the school each month, for the remainder of the year to cover the difference in fees.” She looked up at me with tears in her eyes and said, “No, you don’t have to do that.’ I responded, “It is what I want to do” Immediately, I saw the weight come off her. What a seed to sow – taking the weight off someone.
That was exactly what I did for the remainder of that school year.
Years later, I found myself in a place where I desperately needed one thing off my shoulders. I was going through a very difficult time financially. I felt like I couldn’t take one more debt piling up. One night a friend called me and asked how she could pray. I responded, “I just need one thing off my shoulders.” She said, “What amount would it take to get one thing off you?” I answered her. She then said, “If God puts that amount in my hand, I will bring it to you.” We continued to talk. I didn’t think another thing about our conversation.
The very next day my friend showed up at my house, money in hand. She shared how someone had come to her house that morning and said, “God said you needed this amount.” It was the exact amount we had talked about. She gave it to me, just as she said she would. The most amazing thing was the very next morning, the same person came back to her house and gave her that amount again. They said, “God said you gave it away so here it is again.” The feeling of having one thing off me was awesome – it was some time later that I realized it was the harvest from the seed I had sown to the school principal years before.
Friends, we never know what we give when we give to others. It may take a weight off them that you can’t even imagine. Taking that weight off may allow them to press forward and walk in the blessings of God. You could be the one that helped them walk successfully through a very difficult season. If you are the one thing that helps them through that season, they will never forget you nor will they ever forget God’s faithfulness. I am living proof of that.
Proverbs 3:27 says, Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do so. I purpose in my heart to do good for those whom God gives me the power to do good to, how about you?
My harvest from the seed to the principal didn’t end with that one friend. Several years after that, I reaped another harvest from that one seed. One day, Kelita Deems, whom I didn’t even know at the time emailed me and offered to update and maintain our website and facebook page. At the time we had such a small staff we could only do so much. Her offer was such a blessing and something I had prayed about for months. She took something off me that day. It has been over nine years now and she still works for this ministry.
I want to encourage you today to look for ways to bless others. Take a weight off someone. It is a precious seed to sow. Remember, God never ever forgets a seed. It will come back to you; I am living proof of that truth. Pray about taking a load off someone today – you will be so glad you did.
