Germinating.

Sometimes, the Farmer chooses to plant seeds a little deeper in the ground.  It takes work for them to pop through the ground and breathe in the deep refreshing air and sunlight with newly formed and growing leaves.  It takes time to see any results.  It’s really dark down there, under that rich soil. 

But the soil is full of nutrients that the seed needs in order to grow.  The Farmer also knows that the depth of the seed's roots can determine its long term strength.   During the seed's darkest days underground, a lot of beautiful work happens that no one can see.  The seed is germinating.  It’s growing its roots, so that it can remain strong when it emerges from the soil and faces the wind and the rain.   The beautiful flowers that will bloom in sunlight are the result of its time first spent in darkness.  A great work is being done in that tiny seed while no one can see the beauty of what’s really happening. 

Like children waiting to see flowers, we grow impatient as we wait for the seeds of our dreams to grow.  Our futures… they can look so bleak and confusing.    What is happening?  When will things change?  But the miracle of growth is just that – a miracle.  It’s not something we can always have a system and a plan for.  Different seeds - like different dreams - take different amounts of time to produce fruit.  And when you factor in what kind of soil, how often they are watered, and how much sun shines on them - the process is often out of our control. 

The next time you see a watermelon, consider with amazement that it started as just a tiny seed, growing up to 200,000 times its weight.  Now that takes some time, but the results are great.  Worth it.  And incredibly amazing.  A true miracle.

I need the patience of the Farmer.  I need His long term perspective, His faith, and His loving watch care over His seeds.  

So the next time someone asks me what I’m up to, maybe I’ll respond with, “I’m germinating.”  

And it will be the honest truth. :)

“Faith is what keeps those dreams alive, even when it seems as though they are dead and buried.  But that is the very nature of seeds.  They go underground.  They disappear.  And while it may seem like they are dead, they are not.  They are just germinating beneath the surface.”

–Mark Batterson, Draw the Circle