HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Have you ever considered the tiny size of a seed?
These geranium seeds nearly disappear in the palm of a hand. One seed, by itself, seems inconsequential. You purchase them in packets, partly because it’s difficult to imagine that much could come of a single seed.
If you dropped one seed, I don’t imagine you’d spend a lot of time looking for it. A single seed just isn’t all that valuable.
Properly planted, that insignificant seed germinates within a few days. With the correct combination of soil, water, and sunshine, a nearly invisible and apparently worthless seed sprouts and develops into a strong, healthy plant.
Then something remarkable happens. The seed which would have been casually discarded just a few weeks earlier blossoms and produces beautiful, fragrant flowers. No one, except God, could’ve imagined such beauty with such a small kernel.
The gardener plants with confidence. He doesn’t wish for flowers; he plants with hope, because he knows from experience that certain seeds and conditions produce beautiful flowers.
Of course, none of this is about geraniums. Not really.
Every day, in all sorts of circumstances, we all have the opportunity to sow seeds. Mostly, they appear insignificant–a word of encouragement, a few minutes to listen, some time to mentor one kid. In such a big world with so many issues, it’s tempting to wonder what could possibly come from one person’s nearly invisible effort.
But we sow our tiny seed with hope, trusting the Master Gardener to nurture the plants until they mature into something beyond our imagination. We may never see germination or flower, because God works on a long-term timeline. But He doesn’t waste the seeds we sow.
I’ll talk a bit about this image over the next few weeks. It’s my challenge to myself for 2015, and I invite you to join me.
Where can we sow seeds of hope?
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