Words, Tomato Plants and Time with Jesus

The fruit of any writer is words, alphabetic compilations skillfully woven together into sentences and paragraphs that may eventually become an article, a story, or a book. Those words have the power to change lives. For most writers, those words that become sentences and paragraphs come rather easily. They are the currency of our craft —the artistic building blocks of our calling. A writer without words is a tragic paradox.

Therefore if words are so important, and have such power, it stands to reason that we, as writers, must take special care of our heart and our mind—the expressions of our spirit and our soul, because in those places this precious fruit is produced. A better quality of fruit always produces a higher level of impact.

Several years ago, I decided to do a little farming by planting some tomato plants. Nothing tastes better than a large, succulent home-grown tomato. I labored to build the beds and filled them with a mixture of dirt, compost, and horse manure. Next I placed the plants in the soil and began watering and fertilizing them with Miracle Grow on a consistent basis. Over time those plants grew into luscious bushes with beautiful blooms. I had gigantic plants but the tomatoes were few and far between. The same thing happened for three straight years. Discouraged, I was ready to give up on growing my own, and almost reconciled to a future of eating those plastic-tasting, pale pink variety you find at any local grocery.

Then I met a tomato expert at a botanical garden plant sale. I explained my dilemma and he asked a simple question, “How many hours of sun are your plants getting?” It seems tomato plants need a minimum of six hours of sunshine to produce large heathy fruit. A multitude of vines and no fruit are the classic symptoms of under exposure to the sun. My tomato plants needed something more than I was personally capable of providing.

As Christian writers, we don’t simply need more words. We need powerful words to convey concepts, ideas, and phrases that bring transformation. The power I’m taking about comes from having an intimate, personal relationship with Jesus. Like tomato plants, every writer who longs to produce genuine, lasting fruit needs time with the Son—Jesus Christ. Yes, it is vitally important that we hone our craft by reading widely, studying grammar and structure, and researching our subject with intensity. Yes, we must write, meet the deadlines before us, and build our platform on social media. Yes, it is true there are only so many hours in the day. But if we neglect our spirit and our soul, our words, though lush and plentiful, will be powerless and the fruit of our labor almost non-existent.

Take a few minutes today and spend some time in the glorious presence of Jesus. A moment in his presence may produce the fruitful word or phrase that could change a life forever. But one thing’s for sure, time spent with Jesus will change you, and if you are changed, the fruit of your words will reflect it.