I couldn't leave them because they were mine. These were my carrots that I'd planted by seed in the garden my husband had prepared and we had weeded and watered them all summer long. The value of the carrot harvest wasn't in its size, nutritional content, or financial benefit, but rather in its belonging.
Maybe a little backstory is needed to explain why this would be significant enough to merit a blog post. I recently shared with a group of believing women that I am very critical of myself in my thoughts. I never feel what I have done, or perhaps even who I am, is good enough. A woman I respect very much suggested to me that this could be pride on my part. I have examined this concept before, and I do struggle with pride at some times, just as many, if not all of us do at some points or in some areas of our lives. However, I wasn't sure if that was the root cause of the barrage of self-critical thoughts I cope with. I asked the Lord to reveal to me if the root of my problem was pride, and if so, to help me deal with that sin. I asked Him to reveal to me if the root of my problem was not pride so I wouldn't unnecessarily add 'prideful' to the list of adjectives I've allowed to define my self-image and shape my perspective.
God is good and He has been answering. Not always as quickly or clearly as I'd fancy, but faithfully as always. A missionary visted our church and gave a full sermon. I'd expected him to talk about his ministry for the hour, as missionaries often do when visiting churches. It was a pleasant surprise to hear his thoughts on the Scripture and I listened eagerly as he preached through 2 Corinthians 3. His main point was that our value as believers is not found in what we do, or what our ministry accomplishes, but in Whose we are. We belong to Christ, and therefore we are valued and our ministry is valuable, even if we do not see fruit in the way we hope or even intend. We cannot see all of His plans, but we can trust His work in us.
Picking through those small, dirty carrots, I was reminded how Jesus left the 99 sheep to go find the one that was lost. Why spend time, effort, and resources on the 1%? Well, it was HIS sheep and He determined it was worth it. Common sense told me to leave those carrots and hope for a better harvest next year, but the Lord had a lesson for me as I pondered why I felt so compelled to do a task I considered a waste of time.
If you are called to do something by the Lord and it aligns with Scripture, trust Him with the fruit. We can plant the seeds, we can water the seeds, but the Lord is the One Who causes growth and oversees the harvest. He knew all along that this fall I wouldn't harvest nice, plump carrots worth taking the time to scrub, blanch, and freeze for use over the winter. He also knew I would have a precious time beginning to learn on deeper levels that I am valued because I belong to Jesus.
Now that is time well spent in the garden.