Planting Seeds of Faith

By JENNY SEYLAR

I had a great time canoeing with friends, and thought nothing of my garden while I was away. When I returned the Tuesday after Memorial Day, I walked to the back of the yard to survey the progress in the garden. It had been less than a week since I planted, and I fully expected to find the level area of dark soil that I had left before the trip. What I saw surprised me! Life had sprouted in the time I was away. The black soil was teaming with two and three inch plants. It turned out that while I was away, there was just the right amount of sun and rain to germinate and grow the seeds. It’s amazing that a tiny seed, when placed in the loamy soil, becomes a thriving plant.

I have found this principle to be true with the Bible. Sometimes I read familiar passages with one expectation, but God shows up in new ways on those pages and brings new life to what I’m reading. It’s almost as if I am reading some of those passages for the first time because they were beginning to sprout a new yearning in my heart for God, a deeper and richer understanding of His truth and His love. I have found the more I read and study, the more desire for the Word. Old negative habits, well worn into the fabric of my character, begin to die away as my faith begins to grow and change from the spiritual truths I am learning. I have discovered that there is inspiration in the Bible that empowers and guides me to live my day-to-day life in a way that is more like Jesus Christ.

In the Gospel of John, I am reminded of how Jesus had to die in order to bring forth life. John 12: 23-24 (CEB) Jesus replied, “The time has come for the Human One to be glorified. I assure you that unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it can only be a single seed. But if it dies, it bears much fruit. Jesus died so God could act on my behalf, allowing me to receive not only eternal life, but a richer, more abundant earthly life as well. It was in Jesus’ death and resurrection that the faith journeys of all us who come after Him are enriched and blessed. It is through Him that we can push through the hard soil of our hearts and yield a harvest much greater than we anticipate on our own. It is surprising; it is wonderous. But that is the blessing of Christ.