Fruitfulness in the workplace
- thefruitfulhollow
- Jul 15
- 3 min read
This year at The Fruitful Hollow, our theme is "fruitfulness in your home and marriage". We are exploring ways we can exercise fruitfulness in our domestic church, physical home, hobbies, relationships and wider family, even in times of darkness. This week we're extending that to our places of work, wherever those may be.
Watered, weeded and wondering if it's working
By Anonymous
Gardening is hard work. Those who produce the best fruit understand the work that goes into being a gardener and they work hard to yield a harvest. Producing spiritual fruit in the workplace is no easy task either. It takes time and attention. You must prepare the soil, plant seeds, nurture growth, and prayerfully bear fruit.
As a child I would watch my grandfather prepare for his garden. He got up early and used specific tools to make sure the ground was prepared for seed. Our daily interactions with people are preparing soil for fruits to be planted. We show kindness and patience, we are gentle with our words and share love and joy with those around us. What may seem like small things are necessary for our workplace to be fertile ground.
When my grandfather was ready, he would allow us to help lay seeds. When you are faithful in the little things at work, God will open up opportunities for seeds to be planted. You may be able to share a story of hope with a friend, show unexpected kindness to a new employee, or extend a word of peace to a hurting coworker. These are all seeds planted in anticipation of fruitfulness.
Finally, my grandfather spent a lot of time tending to his crop. The fruits we plant in our workplace also need attention and care. Loving people isn’t always easy and problems can stretch us. It is important during these times of growth to stay grounded in the Word of God and pay careful attention to His leading and guiding instruction.
So, if you have watered, weeded and you wonder if it’s working, remember that God honors our work and toil. John 15:5 states "He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit…” We can only produce fruit when we are connected to Christ. Through His Word we are nourished and in turn we are able to nourish others. Trust that God is at work in your work, and in time, you will reap the blessings of harvest!
Spiritual motherhood amongst colleagues
By Marial Arnold
As a teacher, the obvious fruit of my efforts and spiritual motherhood are evident in my students. Every year, I get to celebrate the academic growth of my students. I am privileged to see my students grow personally, emotionally and spiritually. Occasionally, I see complete turnarounds in my students or breakthroughs in the content that I teach. I foster a relationship with Jesus in my students and see them grow and blossom in their spiritual lives, too.
Just as rewarding, though, is when I am able to be a spiritual mother to my colleagues. As with most professions, my coworkers and I have seen each other distraught and elated and living through many life events. I have been able to be a sounding board and mentor to many of my colleagues and have been able to lead them through troubling classroom situations as well as situations in their personal lives. This investment in my coworkers as both teachers and individuals pays off when I see them succeed in the classroom and in their personal lives.
One of my closest coworkers asked me to be her confirmation sponsor less than a year into us working together. Since then, I have been able to mentor her in the spiritual life as well. Recently, she said that something I said about how to be fruitful through infertility helped her reframe not just her relationship with motherhood, but also her relationship with the Church and other people in her lives, including other coworkers.
Investing in my students and coworkers as people who need spiritual mentoring gives me the lens I need to practice spiritual motherhood at work and eventually see the fruits of my spiritual labor.
