Seeds

Written by Candace Woolard

“I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”

John 12:24

You see, dying is the only way a seed will become more.

After the seed is planted into the moist soil, it swells and cracks, and loses its dry outer shell. It completely gives up its seed identity to become something with even greater value—a sprout! And that sprout sends out a long root. Before you know, it a stem pushes through the earth, and tiny green leaves appear. Then, eventually flowers, and then fruit!

I love the saying ‘die to self’. It’s definitely counter cultural and challenging, but we are set apart!

The dying happens in the daily giving up of what you want for yourself. It happens as you close your mouth when you want to give a string of words. It happens as you choose to see others as more important than yourself. It happens when you see others through His eyes.

God’s heart for you is that you be like a tree planted by rivers of water that yields its fruit in due season

Psalm 1:3

He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.

Jeremiah 17:8 ESV

“It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.””

Mark 4:31-32 ESV

Love the visual in this passage of us being small in our faith, yet, as we grow daily with watering from His word, our faith grows bigger and bigger and then we can ultimately hold someone else up, provide comfort, or security for those who need it.

Encouragement for today-

Let’s place the seeds of this life (our doubts, our fears, our anxiety, our kids, our marriage, our job, our relationships-all of it!) in the Master Gardener’s hands. Open your hands and watch what only He can do🌱🌳