Fruitfulness

In 1890, when a St. Louis gerontologist puréed peanuts for easy digestion by his elderly patients, he never dreamed that his prescribed “peanut butter” would grow into the billion-dollar business that it is today. Often our limited prospects are not only fulfilled but even exceeded. Even when we lack foresight and expectancy, God can still transform our little acorn into a mighty oak tree.

Yet a higher level of trust is exercised when our efforts are replete with unquestioned expectancy. We expect, among other things, that God will use our few loaves and fishes to produce a divinely disproportionate effect in our lives and in those we encounter; that disproportionate effect is called “the hundredfold.”

If you’d like to ponder an aspect of trust that will lift your spirits, just consider Paul’s uplifting reminder about the fruitfulness of our efforts for God’s glory. He reminds us that nothing we do for the Lord is ever wasted: “Know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Cor 15:58). That heartening insight is further underscored by the stirring words of the author of the epistle to the Hebrews: “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them” (Heb 6:10). To experience the enriching effect of these passages, however, you must really trust in them, just as you trust God for everything guaranteed by his holy Word. Trusting in those very promises is itself an act of virtue.

Trust is looking at a barren field, watered only by sweat and tears, and knowing that it will burst forth some day in a harvest of golden grain.

This excerpt is from the book Pathways of Trust, by John H. Hampsch,C.M.F., originally published by Servant Publications. It and other of Fr. Hampsch's books and audio/visual materials can be purchased from Claretian Teaching Ministry, 20610 Manhattan Pl, #120, Torrance, CA 90501-1863. Phone 1-310-782-6408.