This morning while praying I had a funny thought: What if a seed could see and hear; think thoughts, feel emotion and express itself?
Just imagine being a seed, comfortably living among other seeds in a dark cool shed. Each day passing like the one before, knowing who you were with and what to expect with each passing day.
Then one morning something is different. You hear a new sound. A rumbling. Sometimes it sounds far away and then it’s close again. The sound comes to your ears just like that. A back and forth of sound, faint and far, then rumbling and near. And you wonder what is it? What does it mean?
As you wonder, the door opens to your shed and light beams in. A new sight. Something new. And you like it because along with the light you feel the warmth of the sun for the first time. The atmosphere in your small shed has changed in so many ways.
The light.
The warmth.
Even the new smell of the outside world and you wonder: Was it the light that had the power to make everything so new?
You become curious with the thought of what’s beyond the door and become surprised with having the desire to go across the threshold of the door. To leave the shed and venture into something new.
Just like that, the shallow tray that you and the other seeds have called home for as long as you can remember is lifted up and transported across that threshold – the light is much brighter now.
You’ve never seen like this.
Or heard like this.
Smelled like this.
Or had your thoughts expanded like this.
So much newness and you can’t stop or even slow down. You’re not in control.
When your tray is finally placed down you get the opportunity to take it all in.
Wide open space. It’s hard not to feel vulnerable. You’re so small.
You study the space with its neat straight lines. This is all so new, and you wonder: What does this all mean?
And as you wonder you’re lifted up once again, being carried again outside your control.
You watch in shock as your fellow seeds are tossed one by one into one of the straight furrow lines of the field, and you wish, you pray you could go back to the shed… and just as suddenly you’re tossed away into the field and buried.
What if a seed could see and hear; think thoughts, feel emotion and express itself?
The little seed experienced a sense of hopelessness mixed with fear thinking: Is this the end of it all?
At the moment of dying the little seed remembered when the shed door had opened, and the light had made all things new and it felt a stirring!
A stirring within while at the same time its old exterior began to crack and crumble away. And although the outside environment was the same, newness and change was coming from within!
The seed surrendered and life shot forth! Life shot downward taking root and life shot upward in the darkness till breaking through to the light! Bearing both roots to anchor and the rapidly growing stalk multiplying more seeds in the light.
This little seed never really understood its purpose or what had been accomplished through its short little life. Yet, by remembering the light it found the courage to surrender and peace in its most anxious time.
What if a seed could see and hear; think thoughts, feel emotion and express itself?
My friend, you are the seed!
JOHN 12:24-32
Jesus is speaking:
“Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never anymore than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you’ll have it forever, real and eternal.“
“If any of you wants to serve me, then follow me. Then you’ll be where I am, ready to serve at a moments notice. The Father will honor and reward anyone who serves me.“
“Right now I am storm-tossed. And what am I going to say? ‘Father, get me out of this?’ No, this is why I came in the first place. I’ll say, ‘Father, put your glory on display.'”
A voice came out of the sky: “I have glorified it, and I’ll glorify it again.”
The listening crowd said, “Thunder!” Others said, “An angel spoke to him!”
Jesus said, “The voice didn’t come for me but you. At this moment the world is in crisis. Now Satan, the ruler of this world, will be thrown out. And I, as I am lifted up from the earth, will attract everyone to me and gather them around me.” (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language – 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
So, my fellow seeds, now is not the time to go back but to keep moving forward.
It is not just a time to hear the Word but to live the Word – to deal with fleshly motives in times like these by dying to self, sprouting and bringing forth life.
You can pray. You can be an encouragement. You can sacrificially serve those around you.
You can look at all that is going on in the world and say, “This is why I am here!” Playing your part in the Father’s grand plan that will attract and gather others to His Son Jesus. With so much outside your control – this is what you can control and do – yes you – you small little seed!
