Sowing Your Garden
The
parables of the seeds in the Gospels are one of my favorites. In them there is a great bit of wisdom. It reminds me personally not to push or force
things to change or bend to my will. Whenever
I try to push - the universe pushes back just as hard with resistance. Tell a child they can’t do something and they
become fixated on doing it. These parables
have taught me that for any real lasting change it is only necessary to plant
an idea and see what happens. I have
since made a career out of sowing seeds.
I drop ideas all over the place then let it go and watch…sometimes they
result in nothing much and other times the results are quite miraculous! These parables have special meaning for us as
Christians as well. This simple message
talks about: Faith, Trust, Transformation, Potential, Patience and the power
contained in the Word of God.
Just
how small is a mustard seed, the mustard seed was a common metaphor in
Palestine meaning the smallest thing and was actually seen as a weed back
then…how innocuous was this guy called Jesus snuffed out in just three years of
ministry by the Roman Empire…how small were his little ragtag group of
followers that were scattered after his death…how insignificant such a small
thing was…then I ponder other small things…how small is an atom before it
collides with another, how small is a cancer cell or a virus…What potential
impact do these seemingly small things contain within them?
Many
times what happens in our world is looked at in how big something is or its
immediate impact…God works on a much smaller level… one where “potential” and
long lasting change are brought about… the mustard seed that was the word of
God taking hold in the Roman Empire as a small inauspicious thing - and like a weed,
the message of Christ spread unhindered from a single man to twelve men to the
rest of the world. The potential and
energy were contained within Christ’s message.
The word of God once spoken planted itself in people’s hearts, was then
written down for others in the scriptures, and then finally became what today
we call the Church! Little is much when
God’s in it!
Jesus
is calling us to a very different way of being with ourselves, with one
another, and with the divine, by asking us to recognize that spiritual growth
and intimacy with God arises as naturally as a seed growing! The seed grows from within and starts
small. The potential of an acorn is to
be an Oak tree!
When
Paul tells us to Walk by faith not by sight , he’s telling us to place our
trust in the transforming potential that is hidden within each one of us –
everything old will be transformed and made new….a seed doesn’t look like a
tree, a caterpillar doesn’t look like a butterfly. We see this throughout the natural world and
Christ tells us this is what the kingdom is like. It is slow and purposeful once we allow faith
and trust to make us grow. On Earth
Jesus looked like any other ordinary man and grew to become the Son of God!
We
put the seeds out there and God makes them into something new. The gardener can put the seed in the ground
but cannot really do anything about its growing. Growth with passiveness – think about grace
(trust and faith)…trusting without anxiety is more useful than fussing over the
little seeds we’ve sown – the kingdom is about faith, trust, grace and YES
patience to realize the potential.
We
as Christians are both seeds and planters in the kingdom of God. So how can we be both?
First,
let's take the seed. None of us were responsible for our own lives coming into
being. We are each unique. We have certain looks. We have certain tendencies. We have abilities and gifts that are given to
us in a peculiar mix. When we breathed
in that first breath we began that remarkable journey called our lives. We have been nourished and we are growing into
what we are, human beings. God has
nourished us and ultimately we belong to God.
We
might be uncomfortable with that thought. We all like to believe that we are in total
control of our lives. We both are and
are not! Lots of people make decisions
that affect and influence our lives. The
greatest one is God. After all who among
us can make life happen by themselves? Who
among us can add one more second to their
life after that last breath is taken? There is something beyond us.
Furthermore,
that something, God, wants us to realize our potential. To that end we have been given our gifts and
abilities. Using those gifts and
abilities help us to grow and bloom and produce fruit. This fruit is the fruit of good works for God.
All of this begins with us as a seed; a
seed that is sown and nurtured by God in the Spirit. We are as seeds to be transformed into
something new. As Pierre Tel Chardin
once said “we are not human beings having a spiritual experience, rather we are
Spiritual Beings having a Human experience."
Conversely,
we are also the sower. One of the
greatest misconceptions we have is that faith is a private matter. Faith is not a private matter. While God creates, God is not alone in this endeavor.
Our gifts are to be used to spread God's
kingdom. The greatest of these gifts is
our life. Everything about our life is a
gift from God. Every breath we take,
every movement of our bodies is a gift. All
of our abilities and talents are a gift. They are to be used to spread God’s message of
hope and love. Yes, we are seed sowers. We have been called by God to share the love
of God through our caring and compassionate words and actions. We have been commissioned by Christ to share
God's love as Christ did; sharing the Gospel through our individual gifts and
abilities. To quote St. Francis: “preach
the Gospel at all times and if necessary use words”.
We
are both the seed and the sower in the kingdom of God. We are the seed that God planted and nurtures.
We grow to share our abilities; to tell
others about the love of God we have experienced in Christ Jesus. Our Sin would be not to use the abilities we
have been given in sharing the incredible love of God. Our Hope would be that as we use our abilities
we cast light not on our selves, but point to the one who made us, loves and
cares for us – God the Gardner! As
plants grow they also have the power to re-create themselves and as we grow as
Christians we then have the power to re-create God’s love for one another.
Also
remember as you sow, so shall you reap!
If you plant an acorn don’t expect a maple tree. If you plant a tomato seed don’t expect any
peppers…if you plant discontent don’t expect peace… if you plant prejudice
don’t expect acceptance…if you really want something in your life you must
first sow it. If you want love you must
sow the seeds of love yourself. As
Gandhi once said “you must be the change you wish to see in the world”. As you sow, so shall you reap! It can’t be any other way, it would literally
be unnatural!
As
Christians and as co-creators in this world we must show others what the
kingdom looks like, and as such we must sow the seeds of Christ. So what exactly do Christian seeds look like? The premium seed is the Word of God shared;
it’s what these specific parables were all about! Through the Gospel shared, the tree, that is
Christ’s Church, continually grows and reseeds itself - The Kingdom of God, is the Word
of God, becoming God realized in the world.
There
are also many other seeds you can spread around: Kindness, Love, Compassion, Forgiveness and
many more varieties of Christian seeds that bear God’s fruit in the world.
This
Summer go home and plan your own gardens…what do you want your gardens (YOUR
LIFE) to look like…and whatever it is that you want your life to look like,
just remember to sow the correct seeds and you will be very blessed
indeed! And the miracle is - once you plant
the seeds, RELAX, God will do the rest!
So
carefully sow the seeds of the kingdom - as your life will become a reflection
of your heart. And as you sow the seeds
of Christ in your lives, rest assured in time you will reap a rich and full
harvest both in this kingdom and in the kingdom to come.
Have
a bountiful and fruitful summer!
Your
faithful Servant,
carmen
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