Our "Seedness"

He set another man before them, saying, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field; which indeed is smaller than all seeds. But when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in its branches." (Matt. 13:3132)

A couple weeks ago I read the parable about the mustard seed. I thought of this tiny seed buried in the darkness and not expecting anything to happen when gradually it begins sprouting beneath the soil. It eventually breaks through the ground and sees sunlight and feels rain. With the nurturing of the gardener it begins growing taller and taller. It extends its branches and turns a luxuriant green. Birds build nests and raise their nestlings on its limbs.

I had not thought too much about my "seedness" before, but it spoke to me this time.We all start out as minuscule seeds.We are inert until we go through darkness and break through the barriers that hold us back. When light enfolds us and we are cared for by loving hands and hearts, we begin growing. As we become stronger and healthier, we start to reach out to others. We welcome them into our lives and provide them safety and security.

 We begin very small and weak and often clouds block out the light. Then ideally others aid us to grow to our full stature. If this does not happen, we are stunted and need to wait for a breakthrough. When we are fully mature, we can offer others a helping hand. Even if we are not fully mature, we can help each other grow slowly but surely.