“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow” (1 Corinthians 3:6).

One of JRR Tolkien’s characters was called Niggle. He spent his entire life trying to paint a picture of a forest. In fact, he envisioned an entire beautiful landscape.

But before he could finish, he died. Andy Bannister describes what happened next: “Niggle arrives in heaven, where as he approaches the edge of the heavenly country he sees a tree. Not just any tree, but his Tree, finished and complete, every leaf perfect.”

Bannister goes on to explain that in Christianity we are all like Niggle: “that we can make a difference if our efforts, our energy, our work are caught up in and with and are part of God’s greater purposes. Then our strivings can not merely outlive us, but be revealed as part of something bigger, beautiful, more real:  the kingdom that God is building for eternity.”*

We can’t always see how our actions make a difference, or how they contribute to the big, beautiful work of God’s kingdom. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have an effect. 

For example, let’s say you provide specific encouragement to someone for a few months. It restores their confidence. They end up lending their skills to a home-building program to benefit people living on the edge. You didn’t realize that your specific encouragement would have a domino effect. But it did.

This is often how God works. Maybe it’s a project you’re working on or a relationship you’re fostering. Perhaps it’s a ministry you’re helping with at church. Maybe it’s a song you’re writing or work you’re doing that most days seems pretty “normal.” But in God’s kingdom, the domino effect is real. When you act in faith, things happen, and God moves it forward for his glory and for the good of others.

Person A did this. Person B did that. But God gave the growth.

Trust God. Live by faith (not sight) and bless others—one word or deed at a time.

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Notes:

–*Andy Bannister, The Atheist Who Didn’t Exist (Monarch Books, 2015), 183-4.

–Bible quotes are from the NIV.