When Seeds Die
The weather in Oklahoma is unseasonably warm this spring.
The Bradford Pear trees have finished blooming and are leafing out. Nearly all three hundred daffodils planted around the base of our trees are finished showing off their vibrant yellow color. Following closely behind them, my Eastern Redbuds exhibit delicate, soft pink petals, which stand out against the dull brown of the Bermuda lawn.
Social media is filled with ads from stores selling tender vegetable plants. Having worked in garden centers for almost thirty years, I always shake my head watching "Spring Fever" overtake anxious gardeners' common sense.
I spend January through March in my greenhouse. From the brisk cold wind of winter, I can step into my personal haven surrounded by Snow Princess Lobularia, Dragon Wing Begonias, a ten-foot-tall Eucalyptus tree, and many other annual plants I keep over winter.
I love starting geraniums from seed. I usually buy a mixed packet of colors and plant them in January. It's almost like Christmas as I watch the first blooms open a few months later.
In mid-February, I planted tomato seeds. This year, I chose to grow only one variety each of slicing and cherry tomatoes. In four short weeks, the once insignificant-looking seeds have developed into tiny tomato plants with their first true leaves showing.
The Holy Spirit reminded me of God's Word as I gently watered these tender plants. "...When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn't grow into a plant unless it dies first." (1 Corinthians 15:36)
I reflected on my time with the Lord and in His Word that morning.
I brought a particular need in our life to Him and reminded Him of the promise of His Word.
Patience has always been a challenge for me. Although I am convinced that God's Word is infallible, I struggle with His timetable. Within that lies a layer of trust I've yet to fully establish. Standing in the greenhouse holding those newly formed plants, I had to ask myself a question; "How is it that when I sprinkled tiny little seeds into a pot of dirt and then covered them up, I was not concerned for even a moment if they would germinate in seven to ten days?"
"Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you." Luke 6:38 NKJV
At that moment, I resolved to trust in God, not my understanding or abilities. With one breath from Him, everything would change.
At the juncture of surrender, peace and confidence can be found. Although the seeds I've sown have appeared to have died, I know roots are developing beneath the surface, in the soil of my heart. Soon, a tender sprout will emerge that will require me to water and nurture it into fruition.
"I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind (declare to be improper and unlawful) on earth must be what is already bound in heaven; and whatever you loose (declare lawful) on earth must be what is already loosed in heaven." Matthew 16:19 AMPC
Jesus has done His part of the equation. The price has been paid for everything we could ever need. It's up to us to believe and speak what He has said about our situation.
Trusting God is a continuing journey. It abides in the context of knowing God's voice and will through His Word. The loving, gentle whisper of the Heavenly Father is calling us closer, deeper into His glorious presence.
There, He cradles us in peace, contentment, and mercy.
"Because your words are my deepest delight. I didn't give up when all else was lost." Psalms 119:92(TPT)
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