Seeds of the Future

Today is a beautiful, bright fall day!  Clear, blue and fresh!  Yes, I did say "fall" day.  After three weeks of temps. dipping into the 40's at night, summer seems to have given up.  The leaves are turning and my gardens are going to seed.  Farmers are complaining that we barely had any summer at all this year!  There's hot debate over whether this means a long, hard winter or a light, short one to match the summer.  I've come to realize those wooly worms lie about the weather, so I can't depend on them!

  To perpetuate my flower gardens without added expense, I gather my own seeds each fall.  I find it a quiet outdoor activity I can pursue while sitting down.  It gives me lots of time for introspection concerning the cycles of life.  Everything bears seed after its own kind.  It's been that way since the beginning when God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." in Genesis 1:11.  And it was so.

I am amazed that these natural cycles, established by God, repeat over and over throughout man's history.  Nothing we do ever changes that!  God is faithful to the promise He made after the worldwide flood in Genesis 8:22,  "As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease."

  Now that we're living in farm country, our lifestyle revolves around the seasons.  Depending on the month, we could be feasting on asparagus, strawberries, beans or corn.  Since a number of our members are farmers, church activities and even the budget are affected by the business of planting and harvest.  Then everything slows down as the deep cold of January settles in.  Each household works hard to hold winter at bay until spring melts its icy grip.

I find such great comfort in the circle of the seasons, don't you?  They attest to the faithfulness of God.  To know that new, green life will arise out of the cold of winter.  And that the muggy heat of summer will always give way to the fresh winds of autumn.  Winter's blanket will tuck in the spent leaves of fall so the earth will sleep and be replenished.

Finally, in spring, the seeds I've harvested, saved and scattered burst forth in tiny green sprouts.  How could these frail little stems support a riot of waving color in July?  Is it possible those narrow slips of leaves will soon tower over our heads, laden with ears of corn?  I am lost in the wonder of the miracle of growth!  The seed, the sprout, the blossom bear no resemblance to one another.

The apostle Paul uses this illustration in I Corinthians 15:37-44, "When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else.  But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body... So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.  If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body."  But here he describes the change that will come after our earthly bodies die.

This shell I walk around in is only a seed.  This "seed" must die in order for the new "sprout" of immortality to arise.  Who knows what eternal flower will blossom from it in the Heavenly realm?  This is the promise which gets me out of bed each morning!  This "seed", saved in the Hand of God will one day burst up out of death into glory!  Oh, what a wonderful, wonderful day...!

Love as always,  Elaine (sorting those seeds)

The Nocturnal Swarm

The Nocturnal Swarm August 30, 2010

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The parsonage where we live sits on 6 acres surrounded by farmland. We have a large bird feeder on the back patio just outside the kitchen window. It's more for the little birds so I keep it stocked with black oil sunflower seeds. Unfortunately. I found that chipmunks and squirrels will cross acres of open land for such a tempting, easy meal. But, as the superior species, I have cleverly outsmarted them! By wrapping aluminum flashing around the sturdy feeder post I keep them from climbing the pole. I don't mind them eating the seed that falls to the ground. They are my clean-up crew -- that is, until the skunks arrive at night! I assumed that we have all come to an uneasy peace of sorts.




Early this summer I found that the birds were rapidly cleaning out the feeder. It got pretty expensive but I figured they were busy feeding young and needed more energy. Late one night Richard heard some commotion out back and turned on the light to see what was going on. Imagine his surprise at finding four raccoons swarming all over the feeder! A mother had brought her three kits to enjoy an easy meal. He snapped these photos of the feeding frenzy. No wonder our seed budget was on the rise!

It was an illustration of the story Jesus told in Luke 11:24-26:

"When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first."

Here I thought I was so clever foiling the squirrels and chipmunks but had completely overlooked the larger, bolder wildlife. In much the same way, we consider ourselves impervious to sin just because we've overcome some temptation in the past. We become content with our tidy little spiritual accomplishments, never suspecting or preparing for possible future onslaughts. When a swarm of adversities hit us, we are picked clean by the evil one! And so our "final condition is worse than the first", just like my empty bird feeder. Our lack of preparation and watchfulness costs us dearly!

In verse 23, just before Jesus told this story, He reminded the crowds, "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters."

There's only one way we can be properly prepared for the 'hungry mouths' of life that would leave us overwhelmed and empty. We must allow Jesus and His Word to fill our hearts!

Love as always, Elaine (filling the feeder one more time)