A friend of mine recently made this statement to me; “Why is the Christian faith all about battle, when other faiths focus on acceptance?” It caused me to think about nature and the world that we live in.
When a farmer plants a seed in ground he digs a deep hole and places the seed in darkness. Perhaps this seed feels it is all alone and doesn’t realize that there are many other seeds just like it all around. This seed is forced to battle for life, to look for water, to grow, to become strong and burst through the ground seeking after the light that will sustain it and help it get stronger. In time and season it becomes part of a large harvest with others just like it. But not all seeds that are planted grow and become harvested. Would these seeds be better off if after the farmer put them into the ground he made a small hole right above them, to make it easier for them? No, they wouldn’t grow then.
What about a tree?
When the wind blows on a tree is it a detriment to it? Doesn’t the wind cause a tree to sink its roots deeper into the ground so it will become stronger and stand tall? And if the tree doesn’t sink its root then it is toppled over and dies.
If the Lord God doesn’t change and He is always consistent in everything He does then why wouldn’t He expect the same battling from us as he does in nature, in the world He created? We are surrounded by darkness. But we are not alone in this battle. We have other brothers and sisters that surround us. But we all grow at our own pace. Some of us are strong, others are week in their faith and every day we decide if we want to battle on or just give up.
DO NOT GIVE UP! Seek after the light that shines all around us. Seek the Good Father in prayer and feel the light that shines from His smiling face that will warm your heart and cause you to grow closer to him. Seek after the grace of His son Jesus which is just like a gentle rain that falls all around us and nourishes us. And ask the Holy Spirit for comfort which is like a gentle blowing wind that will make us stronger.
This post reminded me of an excellent book: The Little Seed, by Christina Voth. I had the good fortune of reading it during a period of high wind, so to speak. Or slight hesitation to enter the ground, maybe? It's a good illustration - the need to trust Our Father, the farmer of our soul.
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