Winter is upon us. For us that means a lot of rain, a lot of mud, a lot of gray dreary days. Did I mention the mud? On a particularly warm and sunny day recently, I decided to get outside in the warmth of the sun and soak it up. I am not one for sitting when I’m outside, so I decided to tackle a much-neglected area: one of our vegetable garden plots. As one of my sons and I worked to pull up seemingly dead plants from the earth and to pull seemingly dead vines from the fencing, I was struck by the beauty of the brown and gray tones that I fail to notice from afar. I was also struck by the seeds we discovered. Did you know God Himself refers to His children, the nation of Israel, as seed, specifically when He spoke to Abraham.
Indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” Genesis 22:17-18
I often look out the kitchen window and see a spent garden and I think there is nothing redeeming about it. But it struck me as I pulled up the plants and saw rich earth tumble out that the spent plants serve a purpose too. They help to restore the soil to a state fit for planting again in the spring. It struck me as I uprooted these dead plants that strong roots still remain months after the fruit has stopped being produced, and these roots clung tightly and held strong as we heaved and pulled the dead okra stalks from the earth and pulled cucumber vines from the ground and fencing. I recalled what God’s Word tells us about roots and seeds. And I realized most of all this garden that I saw as spent and done is full of hope and promise and LIFE still.
When the LORD brought back the captive ones of Zion, We were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter. And our tongue with joyful shouting; Then they said among the nations, ‘The LORD has done great things for them.’ The LORD has done great things for us; We are glad. Restore our captivity, O LORD, As the streams in the South. Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting. He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed, Shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.” Psalm 126
Those who garden know that you must get dirty when you work, or at least I do. I actually love walking away from time in the garden covered in dirt. Something about it is freeing for me and dare I say even a type of cleansing. I feel a closeness to the Lord when I’m down on my hands and knees toiling in the dirt, in His earth. There is so much depth to it and yet I can see only the surface. It reminds me of the immeasurable depth of the Lord Himself. We often try to limit His infiniteness when we fail to realize and proclaim the depths to which He will go for each one of us, and the limitless power He has to restore that which has been laid bare and seemingly forsaken for a time.
But it all goes back to the seed. As I worked in our spent garden, I couldn’t help but be overwhelmed at the sight and beauty of the seeds I discovered. All of them were hidden and yet preserved. Those who know me know that I have a long-standing prayer for restoration within our family. I struggle to maintain hope and yet I know that hope in the Lord and in His power to restore is all I have. I can’t fix what has been broken and in many ways laid to waste, laid bare. But I can remain steadfast in hope that the Lord will do what He has promised. As I looked upon these gorgeous seeds and saw how much LIFE was yet left in them, I found a renewed trust in the Lord and in His mighty power to do a good work in this restorative journey.
You may notice as did I that the seeds vary greatly. Some are clinging to their original vine or “container” as is the case with the okra and cucumber seeds above. Some are just weeds to be honest, and yet we all know how they grow vigorously in almost any environment. I will save the weeds for another post though. As for the seeds, I realized how much potential and again PROMISE and LIFE they contain within. The seeds contained within the rotting cucumber fruit really struck me. They are so VIBRANT but were hidden within a rotting fruit that on the surface appeared dead and of little worth or perhaps hope. But when I peered inside, all I could think of is LIFE and life abundant! Perhaps you find yourself in a season of barrenness of one kind or another or in a season of waiting on God’s promises to take root or in a season of feeling parched in a desert walk that has taken on a life of its own. No matter the specifics, you must cling to the hope that seeds planted in God’s soil of promises and life-giving strength will not return void. I won’t quote the entire parable here, but I would encourage you to open your Bible* and read Matthew 13. (This parable of the seed can also be found in Mark 4 and Luke 8.). I will share this short portion from Matthew 13. *Or use a Bible app on your smartphone
When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away. And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.” Matthew 13:19-23
One last thought on seeds. God uses His own methods to kindle those seeds and nature them. He can’t do anything outside His perfect nature or that is averse to Who He is. Some seeds are carried through the wind and must travel long distances before they take root and find good soil in which to begin their work of rebirth and growth. I think it is safe to assume we as His children, His seed, must also travel our own journeys which for some of us means we must travel far and long before we find the soil in which our own growth and rebirth can take place. His work isn’t finished even if we can’t see fruit; it may just be that His child is still just a seed hidden from the eyes of most who cannot see the work He is doing in the innermost places.