WORDS NOT FORGOTTEN

Guest Post by Author Nancy Shelton

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. For it is better, if it is God’s will to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

1 Peter 3:15-17 (NIV)

For many years, volunteer tomatoes and marigolds sprouted in my garden, often in places where I did not want them. Last year, instead of pulling up the small plants, I left them to grow as they wished and smiled in admiration at the results. By mid-season, my garden was filled with tall tomato plants covered with dozens of small, delicious fruits. In addition, beautiful, blooming marigolds grew on the edges of the garden. The seeds from long-gone plants had waited a year or more to germinate and develop healthy growth, encouraging each other to prosper.
That same year, an acquaintance asked me questions about my Christian beliefs. I swallowed the lump in my throat, thinking how to give positive, but respectful, answers. At first, I was confident in my responses, but my listener became negative and argumentative. She suggested my faith was stupid and wrong. For days her comments pulled me in one direction and the Holy Spirit in another. I became discouraged and confused, reluctant to ever discuss my Christian journey again. However, prayer and time led me to forget her negative response and to respect my own choices, knowing that God expected me to
share my faith with others.
About a month later, I encountered my acquaintance in a store. That day, she was gracious. She asked me to forgive her earlier rudeness. As we talked over a cup of coffee, she explained that, on our first encounter, she had experienced a difficult month. She requested more information about me and my church. The next Sunday, I smiled as she seated herself, in the back, near the end of a pew. Within a year, I gave her a hug to share her joy. That day, she joined my church, which she now attends regularly.
That experience reminded me of the volunteer garden plants. Like those, my earlier comments and actions had survived to live and grow inside her. The next time I suffer such rejection, I will not be afraid to select my words carefully as I assure myself they may later bear fruit.
Often we are afraid to talk about the love of God, but He will give us the courage and strength to share his will even when we feel rejected. Even though positive, respectful words might not impact a person immediately, the seeds we plant may grow later.

Nancy Lewis-Shelton retired from public education after years as a classroom teacher and school counselor. Published work includes devotionals and fiction/non-fiction short stories for adults and children. Recent publications include two fiction novellas about Cookie, a pet sitter. Volunteer activities include: church senior choir, elementary school Reading Buddy (Council of Churches), and a local oral storytelling group. When she’s not writing or volunteering, you might find her digging in the garden, playing bridge, reading, enjoying events with her daughter’s family, or participating in activities with her pet therapy dog, Robin.