Seeds have always fascinated me. An object which is so very tiny can not only produce something much larger in size, but in many cases, exponentially multiply itself. As a teenager, I was amazed the first time I saw a mustard seed. Having read about this very small seed in the Bible, I proceeded to scotch-tape my specimen into the recesses of my Bible to remind me of the power of a seed. That mustard seed is still there.
In keeping with the way that God speaks to me, I read an article today in the New York Times called “Arks of the Apocalypse,” which is an intriguing look at the attempts of scientists around the world to study and protect natural resources that are considered endangered. Despite the intended emphasis on the effects of global warming, I was drawn to the discussion of seeds. The photo depicts only a few varieties of the 160,000 rice seeds in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault that are stored under the rock and permafrost in a Norwegian island near the North Pole. Interestingly, a few varieties from Syria are being protected until the fighting in that region ceases and the productivity of the land can be redeemed.
Soon after reading the article, my daily reading from the Bible took me to a passage that centered on Jesus’ parable on seeds from Matthew 13. What struck me in this reading was that the emphasis is not on the seed itself. The focus is on the ground.
Seeds have a remarkable ability to remain viable for incredibly long periods of time. A seed can lie dormant for days, weeks, even years until the time comes for it to find the right ground and the right conditions. The NY Times article highlighted this concept for me in that the seeds are patiently waiting in the vault. Not only is a vault non-conducive to giving life to the seeds, they are buried under rock and ice. There’s nothing life giving about that ground.
For me, the personal implication is for those seeds of life (giftings, words, actions) patiently waiting inside me for a chance to impact the world. Today I’m writing a blog post for the first time in months. Life interrupts our best intentions at times, and such is the case with me. In like manner, however, the seeds can sometimes interrupt our life plans.
Today is a quite inopportune time for me to start writing again, for this seed to decide it wants a place to germinate. I’m leaving town in a few hours for an international trip, there are errands to run, and there are items to be checked off the list. But the seed calls out. It is still there, regardless of how long it has been sitting. It is waiting for the right opportunity, the right ground, on which to land and start to grow.
Consider the seeds of life that lie dormant inside of you. They are obviously waiting for the right opportunity to grow. The first step is to recognize that they exist, to remember that you house the tiny reservoirs of life inside you in so many areas. If there are 160,000 varieties of rice, how many individualized seeds of life might reside within you? The second step is to realize when the conditions arise for the seed to find good ground. Sometimes the right time is not the easiest or most convenient time. The third step is to plant the seed, to give it a chance to start to grow. Even when the timing is not ideal, you still have a choice. You can take a step and allow God to grow your seed. The seed will grow, but only when you have intentionally planted it.
Access a good seed today that has been lying dormant. It’s never too late for a seed. If you respond, there will always be fruit. The question then becomes a matter of yield — how much fruit you will see. That, my friends, is all up the ground. Regardless of the yield, fruit is still fruit. Don’t wait for perfect ground; good is enough. May your ground be fertile and soft, ready for the seeds that will be sown into it. Plant away!