Seeds

SEEDS

By:  Julie Souza Bradley Lilly

Spring is fading and summer is nearly here.  The skies are alive with the songs of birds and the landscape is full of life.

Just about every living thing comes from seeds—plants, animals, and even people, started out that way.  And once fertilized and planted, they take root.  From a little seed as small as a grain of sand, a huge mustard plant grows, and a giant oak rises up from a tiny acorn.

Planting and harvesting are mentioned throughout scripture, not simply as a lovely aside, but because they are principles inextricably woven into the tapestry of life on this planet.

We reap what we sow.

I may not have a green thumb, but I still plant every day.  So do you.  We have a variety of seeds from which to choose—seeds of compassion, love, generosity and kindness.  We also can plant selfishness, hate, greed and cruelty.

We may not see them, but once seeds disappear beneath the soil, they aren’t gone.  They are growing.  And the same seeds that we plant in our neighbors’s field, will one day bring a harvest of our own, multiplied 30, 60 or 100 fold (Matt 13:8)—a joyful or horrifying thought, depending on the seed.

“Those who are kind benefit themselves, but the cruel bring ruin on themselves.”
– Proverbs‬ ‭11:17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

What have you been planting, beloved?  Will harvest bring disaster or joy?

Father, we see the unthinkable in our world— indulged hateful tendencies with no thought for others. We plant wickedness, never considering the curse we are unleashing upon ourselves in the days to come.

Lord, make us wise in our planting. Awaken us before it is too late. Heal our minds and convict our hearts, so we will choose a better way. Teach us to plant life and love, and to uproot death and hate. Heal our blindness to see beyond our myopia, to consider not only our neighbor, but also our hopes for our own future.

When fall arrives, Lord, may we be glad for what we planted.  At harvest, may our barns be full of blessings, our mouth full of laughter and our cups overflowing with joy.  In Jesus’ Name ❤️

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