What's in a Name?
Although it is a well-thought-out name, the origin of Well-Watered Fruit is rooted in more than a naming exercise. It is laden in purpose and crafted from God’s Whisper. That gentle whisper was shared with me back in August 2020, when I was doing research for a business name, domain names, etc and it ultimately culminated in the divine revelation of the business name you see today.
I was reading Isaiah 58:11 and doing the research behind the term ‘well-watered woman'. I was initially drawn to the term as a personal connection with the feeling that I was a well-watered woman.
11
The Lord will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
The imagery of God as my living water source, keeping me sustained like a well-watered thriving garden, really took hold of my heart. I was excited by what I found and started thinking about how this might align well with my story.
I quickly identified that I had been well-watered by my grandmother, Bridget. She was the original “Constant Gardener.” She never stopped filling us up through prayer, and everyday epithets. She would never assume a schedule beyond God’s will. If she wanted to do something tomorrow she would always say “If life is spared, I’ll go do xyz.”
I wanted the name to be an ode to how much she planted the seeds and watered me to grow so deeply rooted in the Lord. Digging deeper, I began to see that the fullness of who I am was the result of three women watering me from all sides:
Spiritual - My Grandma
Education/work ethic - My Mom
Personality/creativity/social awareness - My Auntie Carol
We Are Here to Water
Less than an hour later after doing my research, I clicked on the link to start my online ministry class. The instructor for the night was Ps Ray Moore who was doing a lesson on Unity. To kick things off he starts reading from 1 Corinthians 3:5-9:
5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.
There it was again. That concept of watering. He discussed the fact that spiritual growth happens from one person planting the seed, someone else watering it, and God’s [attention] makes us grow. When he said ‘We are here to water’ I had the biggest AHA! moment and everything fell into place in my mind. I realized my initial outlook of looking inward was wrong. It wasn’t about basking in how much I was watered and what fruit I’m bearing; it was about watering others.
My sharing of the gospel, to that point, had been very focused on planting the seed (and walking away) but I realised that I also have a responsibility to water that seed. It never occurred to me that God was tilling the land with me and that I could leave the growing to Him. Honestly, what a relief! I don’t have much of a green thumb so the thought of having to plant, water AND watch it grow was a bit overwhelming to me.
How Does Your Garden Grow
The resurgence of my faith in January 2018 was the result of a dormant seed that was planted by my grandparents when I was younger and watered by a Charley Pride song. Many of us have dormant seeds inside of us related to our belief (or non-belief) in God. In my well-watered garden, I like to plant the seed of what it means to be a follower of Christ and water it by living life enthusiastically for Christ as a testimony. Because I’ve been well-watered, I have the capacity/overflow to help/water others. If life is leaving you feeling dry, and scorched, I’d love to water and pray with you.