Seeds
 
We have been planting seeds at my house for a couple of months. The soils have had a rest through the winter and the planting boxes have started to produce early crops. There is some spinach that Popeye would be proud of. Some radishes that were spilled are sprinting to the finish line. Eggplant, tomatoes, and other things are on the longer path to fruit, but they are busy at it. 
 
Days are getting longer, flowers, trees, and all things spring are busy. 
 
Jesus often taught about faith and life with stories of seeds and plants. He told the parable of the soils, where seeds were scattered about in the hope of a crop, only to discover that not all of them landed in hospitable dirt. But when one did, it would produce fruit sometimes one hundred-fold. He talked about weed seeds being allowed to grow so as to not disturb the crops at their work. The harvest would come soon enough and the weeds would be sorted then.
 
It is the time of year in California when seeds are showing off.  The first display of your roses is nothing less than pretentiousness. Even the trees have been into spring. Some of them are decades into this cycle and yet they know it’s spring again. Blossoms make promises for summer’s fruit. The whole matter is the miracle of God’s design.
 
In the spring of about 25 AD, Jesus spoke of this planting and harvesting in a different way. He described His own death, in seed planting terms. He said, “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels -” It was springtime when Jesus died, and after being hidden in the ground His resurrection brought the fruit to billions.
 
There are no coincidences with God, there are only plans. Every Spring as the plants rise out of the ground, we remember Jesus’ resurrection. More than a billion people claim Jesus as I write. More than a billion seeds are rooted from that one. 
 
I grew up with gardens. Tomatoes, zucchini, potatoes, and the like were planted in the fertile soil of our yard. I learned about patience and expectations from those gardens. There is so much hope when you plant a seed. But the resulting plant has only one goal. They exist to produce more seeds. I think Jesus would like me to learn that.
 
Lord, help me to see that the life I live has many blessings. Help me to live in such a way that it produces blessings as well. Don’t let me forget that the real goal is to disperse seeds of eternal hope.
 
 
Walt