Ridiculously Graced: The Spiritual Process of Seed, Time, and Harvest

By Lachanda Smalls

There are times in which we expect to see God's promises manifest in our lives without fully understanding the process of sowing and reaping. In Ridiculously Graced, Lachanda Smalls shares her personal experience on learning this process during a very frustrating season in her life. In this revised edition of Ridiculously Graced

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trilogy Christian Publishing
• Release date: Apr 6, 2021
• ISBN: 9781647739607

Book preview

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RIDICULOUSLY GRACED

The Spiritual Process of

Seed, Time, and Harvest

RECEIVE-RETAIN-RELEASE!

Lachanda Smalls, MSW, LSW

REVISED EDITION

Ridiculously Graced

Trilogy Christian Publishers A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Trinity Broadcasting Network

2442 Michelle Drive Tustin, CA 92780

Copyright © 2021 by Lachanda Smalls

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced for commercial gain or profit by any form. Neither may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise copied for public or private use, other than brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews, or classes without prior written permission from the publisher.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Scripture quotations marked (TLB) are taken from The Living Bible copyright © 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

ISBN: 978-1-64773-959-1

E-ISBN: 978-1-64773-960-7

Dedication

This book is dedicated to everyone who has become frustrated during their season of waiting and unsure of the next steps. To those who are ready to give up and are not sure where or in whom to place their hope, this book is for you.

Ridiculously Graced is equally dedicated to those who have gotten through the waiting period and want to know what the next steps are once your harvest comes. God does not waste anything in our journey and promises to cause it all to work together for our good.

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to everyone in my village who continues to help me on my journey!

Starting with my family of origin, my supportive husband Abraham, and my daughter Marissa, who continually inspires me.

And to my in-laws,

the many mentors, coaches, and accountability partners I have encountered along the way. I am only here today because of your generous investments of your time, talent, and treasures into my life.

Special thanks to my church, Victory in Christ Christian Center in Westville, NJ, led by Bishop John and Pastor Isha Edmondson. My church has provided me with many opportunities of growth as a leader.

Lastly, but certainly not least, thank you to my mentor, Elise Minor for believing in me. I am indebted to help raise up others in return.

Introduction

What do you see when you observe a plant seed? How would you describe it? The descriptions may vary greatly when describing a seed. I wonder if you would describe it from a theoretical perspective by stating that the seed is a small object with lots of potential? Potential which could transform into a different object altogether? Or, maybe you would describe the seed by only its physical features, ignoring the inherent potential that the seed could produce from the inside out? Or, just maybe, you would describe the seed as insignificant altogether, unless put in the soil and tended to until the harvest comes from the small substance inside it.

While the result of a seed is not always apparent from first glance, having an understanding of the process from start to finish helps when the seed is hidden in the soil. This understanding provides us confidence during the wait times that seem dark. Many farmers would describe the seed growth process as this: prepare the soil, plant two-three seeds a ½ inch down in the soil, keep the seed moist, monitor the temperature of the growth environment, watch and tend the soil from weeds and pests that would try to damage and steal nutrients from the plant. Eventually, with proper care and tending, this leads to a harvest.

The process of seed growth and development is very interesting from an agricultural perspective and similarly can provide us clarity in our own times of waiting for God’s promises to come to pass in our lives. This biblical concept became interesting to me during my own seasons of waiting. I found it hard to wait well during certain seasons of my life and could not understand why some things took so long to produce a harvest. I would hear sermons on the first chapter of James which encourages God’s children to appreciate trials because they produce patience and patience produces perseverance. I experienced many nights of frustrations and found that my expectations were off.

I think we can all agree that the beginning of a thing is almost always exciting. All you can see is the expected end, but we do not always look at the process it takes to get there. I think, if we spend too much time looking at the process, we may call the whole thing off altogether because it may be too intimidating. So, while God does not always provide us with a timeline, He always encourages us at different points along the journey to keep going and to stay focused on Him.

During my own seasons of waiting, the Holy Spirit led me to a passage in Mark 4 which helped me to better understand the process of seed, time, and harvest. This passage added so much clarity and peace that I decided to write a book in hope that others will be comforted by this same analogy on their journey. In this passage, Jesus tells His disciples that the Kingdom of God is like a farmer who sows a seed in the ground and then goes away. Jesus does not give a full description of how the farmer cares for the seed, but He says that the farmer just goes about his normal way of living and almost forgets about the seed.

I think Jesus does not give the exact steps of what the farmer did to care for the seed in this passage because God does not want His children to think there’s only one way to get the seed to grow. I’m learning that God wants to be a part of every aspect of our journey. He does not want us to lean on a certain formula but to just lean on Him. Many times, we get encouraged by hearing other people’s testimonies, and it reminds us that, if God could do that for them, surely, He can do it for us. However, we do not realize God may lead us to do it differently than others, so we have to stay tuned in. What does it mean to stay tuned in? It means we have to ask the Holy Spirit what He thinks and then wait to receive further instruction. It may come through a thought, someone else’s words, or a movie we are watching. We will know when it comes because it will be confirming, and peace will follow.

So, getting back to our illustration, Jesus said that the seed produces the fruit on its own—first, the leaf blade pushed through, then the heads of wheat formed, and finally the grain ripened. The story of the sower in this passage provides a great illustration of the process of seed-time-harvest. In Mark 4, I found it interesting how Jesus said in the beginning of verse 28 that it was the soil that caused the seed to grow and not any labor that the farmer put into the process of growth. Initially, I found this passage unrelatable because I am wired to be a ‘doer’ as many of us mothers and wives can probably relate. I do not have a problem with taking the steps to get a job done.

The more I read this passage, the more it began to speak to me about my role as the farmer. It bothered me that the passage said the farmer would only rise and set each day, going about his normal daily activities while the seed grew. In my opinion, I needed more work to add to my to do list than what this passage was instructing me to do. I could relate more if the passage said that the farmer watered the seed or made sure the seed was in the right position to receive sufficient sunlight. But the passage did not provide those specific details—only that the farmer rose and went down each day, and the seed grew.

My prayer is that this book will help you understand your role as a farmer and the process of the seed growth during its development. We will discuss a concept that I have become fond of: Receive, Retain, and Release. This concept will help you understand the principle of receiving God’s promises for your life, retaining it for your benefit of continual nourishment, and then releasing it to the people that you are connected to. It is my hope that as you read this book, you will also feel God’s presence in your situation as He promises to be a very present help in our times of need. God is constantly reminding us that we are not alone, and, when we focus our attention and affections on Him, He will strengthen us during our seasons of waiting.

The question is not if the promise will come to pass,