A couple of weeks ago, I was in a production called Duty. It was a Show n Tell Ministries production and told the story of 8 guys from Garner that gave their lives serving in the Vietnam war. It was truly humbling to be a part of the production and to honor the veterans that had served in the war. It was a really cool production because I feel like it not only made an impact on those that watched, but also the cast and crew.
I didn’t really know what to expect when I signed up. One of Community of Hope’s board members is the founder of Show n Tell and he told me it was a short role reading a letter and rehearsals would only be for one week. It seemed easy enough so I agreed to be in it. The entire production was very moving, but there was one person’s experience that stood out to me.
Harold Till went to Vietnam because he knew a lot of people wouldn’t come back and they needed to know about Jesus. Vietnam was his mission field. In Vietnam, he talked about Jesus so much, he was known as Preacher. One day, his patrol was sent to engage North Vietnamese Army (NVA) troops that were hunkered down on the top of a mountain. In their approach, they had to cross a clearing, and as soon as they did the NVA opened fire with their machine guns.
Since they were on a hill, the machine gun could not aim low enough to get them if they were lying on the ground. The NVA took advantage of this and started rolling grenades down at them. They couldn’t get up and run because they would be shot. They were pinned down with nowhere to go. A grenade went off near Till and injured his leg. He looked at his patrol and said, “When I stand up, run for cover.” He stood up and charged the hill unloading everything he had at the NVA. Eventually he ran out of ammo and the NVA shot him at point-blank range. His patrol was able to escape because of his actions.
Till had told so many soldiers about Jesus and then he lived out John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” The way he lived changed his patrol’s lives forever. There are guys that accepted Christ and are living to honor Jesus and Harold Till. Half a century later, his actions are still making an impact on people. His story challenges me. The seed he planted is still growing.
Through the production, God reminded me to never underestimate the power of a seed. It is easy for me to get discouraged if I don’t see results from the things I’ve done. I don’t often expect to see it immediately, but when it’s been a while, it is often frustrating. Paul understood that just planting a seed is powerful. In 1 Corinthians 3:6, he says, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.”
I may never see the growth of the seeds I plant, and that’s OK. That shouldn’t stop me from planting them. A conversation or a loving act that I have with a someone could one day been the starting point for their life being changed forever. God hasn’t called me to do it all. As Paul said, there is no way I could do it all. Sometimes God calls me to plant. Sometimes God calls me to water. In all those times, He is the one causing the growth. So I shouldn’t get discouraged because seeds take time to grow. Just because I don’t see it doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.
until next time…