Whether someone is the type to play it safe or shoot from the hip, they likely end up most regretting those things they DO NOT do. I am one who tends to be a “play it safe” type of guy in most cases. I don’t like surprises. I enjoy the comfort of having a plan and I generally am most satisfied when things don’t change. Studying Ecclesiastes has taught me a lot about how I am missing out on many opportunities in life by being “that guy.” In a very simplistic example, let me tell you about my lemon tree. It’s a strong tree that I have nurtured for many years and generally get a strong yield year after year. The best part about it is the stories I get to tell people when they find out I have one… and I live in Indiana. Oh wait, that’s the vision of what could have been. The truth is not as gratifying. When I was about ten-years-old, I planted the seed of a lemon from one of the many my grandfather sent us from his Florida winter home. I was sort of shocked when it sprouted. I nurtured it and maintained it for a couple of years, eventually reaching about two feet tall with a layer of thin bark, and some magnificent green leaves. Then I learned about lemon trees. And climates. I had planned to have my grandfather take it to Florida and plant it, but then I found out that too was not practical. Soon, the difficulty (and seeming impossibility) in growing a lemon tree in an Indiana climate  produced laughter and a bit of ridicule from others when I showed it to them or told them about it. So I gave up. I realize this may sound like it is spiraling toward a "when life gives you lemons" sort of lesson, but it is really about taking risks. Sadly, I stopped watering it. I stopped giving it nutrients. I allowed it to dry up to the point that my lemon tree was nothing more than a lemon twig that never had a shot. It died and I disposed of it, Today, it’s a mere memory filled with regret and lessons.

Lessons on Taking Risks for God from My Dead Lemon Tree

I share this story about my lemon tree for more than my own amusement. I share it because it provides a nice illustration about how God wants us to take risks. Using the first several verses of Ecclesiastes chapter 11 as a framework, here’s why and how:

1. Be Open to Varied Options (Cast Your Bread on Many Waters).  In the first verse, Solomon tells us to "Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days." This is not about feeding the seagulls. No, this is more about merchant trade as Solomon was very involved in international trade with countless merchants. It is very likely that he’s talking about the grains for making bread. Put them on many ships (not just one). He’s advocating diversification. In other words, don't put all your eggs in one basket.
2. Give Plus-One Effort (to seven or even to eight).  Verse 2 says we are to "Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth." This is still on the "ships" tract from the prior verse. But we are not talking about two or three. No, we are talking about MORE than you think is sufficient. The phrase “to seven or even to eight” is in alignment with the Old Testament pattern of x + 1. Solomon speaks of trying every avenue there is and then adding one more. The reason for dividing your portion is “you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth.” If disaster strikes one or two ships, the others will come in and not all will be lost.
3. Let God be God (If the clouds are full of rain... tree falls... there it will lie) Throughout the whole book of Ecclesiastes, we are presented with the understanding that God is in control. Verses 3 and 5 reminds us that life is unpredictable and sometimes mysterious – yet God has a plan. And we are to trust that plan. Don’t waste your time and life in trying to be God for him. It’s a worthless endeavor.
4. Take Action (He who watches the wind will not sow and he who looks at the clouds will not reap) The proverb in verse 4 criticizes the overly cautious (guilty as charged!). In this instance, the farmer who waits for the opportune moment to plant - when no wind to blow away the seed - or to reap/harvest - when there is no rain to ruin a ripe harvest - will never do anything but sit around waiting for the right moment.  Solomon exhorts us not to be like this farmer. Don’t wait for conditions to be perfect, because that will never happen. The best time to take action is usually "now."
5. Be Persistent (In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand) The terms “morning” and “evening” are merism similar to what is used throughout other sections of Ecclesiastes and elsewhere in the Bible. They represent two polar ends rather than two distinct times. So, in this instance, we are literally reading it as “from morning through evening.” The farmer should plant NOT at two times in the day, but all day long.

I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I had really tried to cultivate my lemon tree. Had it been many years later, I might have had the Internet to help me research and try out many options. But I also could have walked the 5-6 blocks to my local public library and learned a lot that way too. Sadly, I limited my options. Since I had never seen a lemon tree survive in Indiana, I took it for impossible. I didn't take my efforts to +1 levels. I allowed the tree to perish because I didn't take action. I gave up and assumed that God didn't design lemon trees for Indiana weather. Whether that assumption was right or wrong, who knows? Clearly, citrus trees cannot grow the same way in Indiana as they do in Florida or elsewhere. Perhaps, though, I could have enabled the tree to grow as a dwarf citrus tree and found a place for it. If only I had taken the risks.