S119P5 – A life in parables: trust the process
Mk. 4:26-29
He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
I know a farmer who grows a few different plants on his property. Even in just their personal garden, he and his wife have quite a variety of fruits and vegetables. I remember the first time I took a walk through that garden, and they were giving me produce to take home, and I remember being in awe of everything growing there. Maintaining that garden seemed like it would be well beyond me because I know nothing about plants. The farmer’s wife, however, acted like it would be no sweat to keep that garden going the way she keeps it going. For her, it is pretty easy. You plant your seeds, and you wait for them to sprout. Other than sunshine and water, those plants really just need time to grow the way they were designed to grow. According to her, anyone could do it.
The kingdom of God works just like the green beans and the blackberries in the farmers’ garden. Someone only needs to plant that seed, and the seed will sprout. If I give God’s kingdom a place to sprout within me, and I follow a few basic rules, I can rest assured that a crop will come. If I make sure that seed has water and sunshine, and the varmints do not come by and dig it up, I know that I will have a fruitful plant one day. That is all the kingdom of God is looking for from each of us. We make our soil available, and the seed will sprout. If we make sure the environment is right, it will grow. Of course, if we cut off the water or sunlight, or if we dig up that seed, we cannot expect it to bring forth any life.
Some people will say that, if you want your houseplants to do well, you should talk to them or sing to them. This is not because plants enjoy the arts, but the simple science is that they breathe in the carbon dioxide we exhale. Plants need basic care, but the inner workings that cause them to grow from that basic care can be foreign and unknown to us, and that does not matter. Place the seed in your soil, make sure it has sunlight, water, and air, and the plant will grow. God will take care of the chemistry that makes it all work. Father, thank You for the promise that the seed of your kingdom will grow in us if we only give it a secure place to grow.