Seeds

I bought three packets of seeds yesterday. I usually buy cleomes as soon as I see them on display because they seem to be one of the first flowers that disappear from the racks. Cleomes were one of Dad’s favorites and I enjoy the memories they bring.

It’s an act of faith to plant a seed. I can wander my yard right now and see some of the perennial plants that will be the foundation of this year’s garden. However, I can’t see if the seeds I planted in the fall are doing anything. And I can’t plant the seeds I bought yesterday. I have to bide my time and wait for the weather to cooperate and the soil to warm enough to welcome them.  Then I must trust that they are viable seeds and will produce the plants anticipated.

Spring planting always reminds me of two things: my purpose in life, and my children. When I was young I envisioned doing great things and making a difference in the world. As I’ve gotten older and wiser I’ve learned that doing small things each day can make a difference in my little corner of the world. I like to think that I’ve planted a few seeds that have produced a good crop but only God knows for sure.

As a young parent I thought my teaching and influence would have a much more powerful impact on my children than the ways of the world. I felt responsible for what they did and what they would become. I’ve seen firsthand that I only planted the seeds that would be watered by others. Just as my own beliefs and actions are based on a lifetime of experiences and the influence of others, so are the lives of my adult children. And ultimately they belong to God, not me.

I did a Google search for Bible verses about seed and was promptly referred to 42 verses. Jesus used seeds and the concept of sowing them to teach us many life lessons. One of my favorites is found in 1 Corinthians 3:6-8. People are quarreling about their service and loyalty to different leaders and Jesus reminds them that the men they follow are only gardeners planting seeds and watering them. It is God who makes them grow.

⁶ I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. ⁷ So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. ⁸ The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. ⁹ For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.

I see my life as one big garden. I plant a few seeds here and there. I try to “water” them by being positive and encouraging. I avoid the “weeds” of the world that try to choke out my good intentions. And I try to remember that whether or not I’m rewarded with blossoms is up to God.