Seed Planters: Find Your One

The other day, I was thinking about Easter and just how overwhelmingly good God has been to me—and it hit me like a wave. This soft but undeniable moment of reflection settled over my heart, and I began to think not just about the cross and the resurrection, but the way God has been gently planting seeds in my life for years… even when I didn’t know it. Even when I didn’t see it.

There were people He placed in my path—some for a moment, some for a season—who were planting seeds of faith, love, and truth into the soil of my life. At the time, I didn’t even realize it was happening. I was too lost, too distracted, or too broken to notice. But looking back now, I see how each one of those seeds grew. How they all started sprouting, intertwining, and eventually led me to surrender my life fully to Christ.

And I haven’t been able to stop thinking about those people. The ones who showed up when I didn’t know how much I needed them. The ones who loved me when I didn’t think I was lovable. The ones who were the church outside the church. I just keep thinking—I want to thank them. I want to celebrate them. So this week, I want to start highlighting some of those seed planters. And today, I want to tell you about Vicki.

Vicki was my youth director when I was a teenager, and y’all… my home life at that time was far from ideal. I was struggling in ways no one really knew, carrying weight that no teenager should have to carry. But Vicki took care of me. She poured into me. And she had no idea what I was walking through behind the scenes. I left that church around 16 years old and lost touch with her for years.

Fast forward: I was 31 years old when we reconnected. It had been 15 years.

Right before we reconnected, I had finally surrendered my life to Christ. I had believed in God since I was 13 and had what I thought was salvation—but for years, my faith was shallow. It was belief enough for eternity but not enough to trust Him with my reality. Then, through a series of painful and powerful moments, I reached a point where I was ready to receive the truth of who God is and how deeply involved He is in my life.

Not long after that surrender, God started bringing people to mind. People I hadn’t spoken to in years. Vicki was one of the first.

I felt so strongly that I needed to reach out and thank her. Thank her for protecting me without knowing she was protecting me. For being the church when I didn’t even know what that meant. When we finally reconnected, I ended up joining the church she was attending—the very same church where I had given my life to Christ all those years before.

And here’s where it gets even more beautiful.

During a women’s small group, it just so happened that the way the group split up left only Vicki and me together. Just us. It was quiet, private, and completely orchestrated by God. In that moment, she looked at me and said, “You were my one.”

I didn’t fully understand what she meant until she explained that, at the time, their pastor had encouraged everyone to pray and ask God to give them one person to focus on. One person to pray over, love deeply, and believe for. Out of all the people she could have chosen—out of all the students and names from her past—God placed me on her heart.

She hadn’t heard from me in 15 years. But she prayed for me that year. And guess what? That year was the very season God was radically transforming my life. She didn’t know what was happening in my world, and I didn’t know I was being lifted up in prayer by someone who had planted seeds long ago—but God knew. He orchestrated it all.

And that’s why I want to say thank you.

Thank you, Vicki, for being obedient. Thank you for praying when you had no idea what was going on. Thank you for seeing me as more than just a teen in your youth group. You were a seed planter, a protector, a shepherd. And now, all these years later, we’re not just former leader and student—we’re friends.

She’s 20+ years my senior, but she is one of my closest friends. We laugh, pray, encourage, challenge, and even teach one another. And the thing that blows me away? She’s humble enough to receive wisdom from me now, too. That’s a rare kind of friendship. A kingdom friendship.

So if you’re reading this, I want to encourage you to do what Vicki did:

Find your one.

Ask God to place someone on your heart. Pray for them. Love them. Pour into them—even if you don’t see results. Even if you never hear the end of the story. Because God is working. Your prayers matter. Your obedience matters.

And if there’s someone who planted a seed in your life? Reach out. Thank them. Honor them. You never know how much they need to hear it.

This is just part one. I’ve got more seed planters I can’t wait to highlight. But today, Vicki—this one’s for you.

Thank you for being the hands and heart of Jesus in my life.

You helped grow a garden you never even saw taking root.