Seeds of peace

But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness. (James 3:17-18)

Plant seeds of peace - reap righteousness. Heaven certainly knows the difficulties we face on this earth all because seeds of peace are not sown as often as those of discord! Relationships are just hard work. Living within communities of any sort can be challenging, to say the least, but it is the way we live on this earth - all mixed up together, with all our hurts and hangups, muddled up in one big mess. I have come to realize we are responsible to create the environment of peace that we so desperately desire. It might be a bit of a challenge to 'sow peace', but we are called to continually work at creating harmony within relationships because it reflects God's love to those we live in community with.

Promoting peace isn't all that simple, though. There are all kinds of 'personalities' and 'temperaments' we deal with on a daily basis. Some are quite deliberately involved in our lives and others we might have a more passive involvement with throughout the day. Notice that we are not told to be peacekeepers, but rather to be peacemakers. In other words, we bring Jesus into the room when we enter and hopefully leave just a little bit of him when we leave. Righteousness is just a fancy word for 'right-living'. Seeds of peace actually can lead to some pretty big changes in the way we interact with others and how they interact with us.

How hard is it to show no favoritism, especially when we interact with someone we really don't agree with versus someone we are close to, admire, and even 'like'? We want to 'side with' the one we 'like' and kind of move away from the one we find it hard to interact with, don't we? Jesus never gave us permission to avoid hard relationships. He just gave us the commission to plant seeds of peace. I won't sugar coat it - this one will be hard. The 'harvest' only changes when the 'seed' that is planted changes. Just sayin!

Over and over again

The one who plants few seeds will have a small harvest. But the one who plants a lot will have a big harvest. Each one of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give. You should not give if it makes you unhappy or if you feel forced to give. God loves those who are happy to give. And God can give you more blessings than you need, and you will always have plenty of everything. You will have enough to give to every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:6-8)

How many 'seeds' have you been given? Does each seed only bear one other seed? Not hardly! Seeds have a way of multiplying when they are planted. God doesn't expect us to keep the seed of faith we have been given, but he asks us to 'plant it' deep within the hearts of those around us. Why? It will grow and be able to produce more seeds of faith that can be passed on to others!

There are many types of 'seeds' God gives us, faith being only one of those seeds. The seed faith that gives from a heart of generosity is also a good thing. We have been called to 'give', not just out of the abundance of what we have received, but sacrificially. That means we don't consider it a burden to give what God prompts us to give - time, talent, or treasure. 

Are you happy to give of yourself to others? Are you happy when you are able to give out of the abundance of your resources to help another in need? Are you happy when your talents are able to be used to bless those around you? If you cannot answer 'yes' to these questions, then maybe it is time to explore what is holding you back from sharing those 'seeds' God has placed in your possession.

There is no 'dictate' to give, but there is to be a desire to give of ourselves because so much has been given to each of us. Seeds aren't meant to be hoarded but planted. They aren't going to multiply otherwise! If you have any doubt about this, just try it! God even challenged the Israelites to bring their offerings to him for his use, 'testing' him in a way, then they saw his tremendous faithfulness to them over and over again. 

We may not think our time could be used as a blessing to another but offer it with sincerity and see how it does! We might not believe our talent can be put to use by anyone else or feel that we have a talent anybody could find a use for, but God gives each of us something unique we can offer. Offer what you have with a genuine heart and see if God doesn't just prove his faithfulness over and over again! Just sayin!

Please get rid of those weeds

If you were to look at the yards of my neighbors around me right now, you'd see a massive overgrowth of weeds in more than a few yards. As much as we try to keep our homes free of weeds, they seem to come up. One neighbor who neglects their overgrowth can actually 'support' the growth of those little nuisances in the yards of all the other neighbors! You know, if we stop to think about it, the 'weeds' we tolerate in our spiritual life are equally as 'prolific'. The ones we associate with can actually be affected by their overgrowth in our lives - causing their lives to become 'infested' with those weeds if they aren't quick to notice those seeds drifting their way!

Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life. (Galatians 6:7-8 MSG)

Weeds don't require planting - they just pop up! They don't require 'maintenance' and fertilizing - they just grow wherever they find the place to grow. They are 'opportunistic' - they don't really need a place of their own because they are quite content in yours! We might not even notice there are a few 'weeds' in our lives, but when we engage the help of others, we might just begin to see things a little differently. We just see the 'green' there and figure it is all 'good' growth, but when the one who sees our lives with 'fresh eyes' looks at us, they see signs of 'weedy undergrowth' - which if left unattended will become the 'weedy overgrowth' before long!

While none of us is totally comfortable with 'outside eyes' focusing on our lives, it may be necessary to engage the help of another to actually begin to notice where 'weedy growth' has taken root in our lives. We don't always see the things that are right in front of us, do we? Sometimes we do, but we ignore it because it is too much trouble to deal with it. One of my neighbors is that way - I think they think if they ignore their weeds long enough, they will somehow just 'disappear'. Nothing could be further from the truth, though, for even long after they wither in the heat, the seeds are left behind for that time when the rains will come that will spark the new growth of the next 'bad harvest'.

This may seem like a kind of 'lame' post today, but consider this for just a moment - whatever sin we tolerate to the least degree in our lives today will probably eventually grow into astronomical proportions at a later time. Until we deal with the weed, there will always be another seed. One seed is capable of multiplied seeds. Each seed producing another round of 'weedy growth' in our lives. The only way to deal with sin is to rid ourselves of it once and for all. It might just take us engaging the help of another because we don't have the wherewithal to deal with the root of the problem on our own. It is okay to ask for help. Until the root is removed, the potential for regrowth is still there. 

God isn't going to just spray a little bit of weed killer in our lives and call it 'done'. He wants us to get at the root - not on our own, but with his help and the help of others he places in our lives to help us expose that root and get it out. The Sunday sermon may have been a little bit like 'weed killer' - helping you to halt the growth of the 'weed' in your life, but the Sunday sermon only helped curb the growth. There must be ongoing maintenance - observing for any sign of regrowth and tending to it immediately. The seeds are still there - but they don't have to take hold again if we allow the Spirit of God to be our diligent watchman! Just sayin!

Empty space demands to be filled

I don't know about you, but we are ready to begin our planting season here in Arizona.  If we don't get the seeds in soon, the weather will turn so hot so quick that any new growth will just be scorched under the hot sun.  So, this weekend I began cleaning up the garden, trimming away any frosted leaves and turning the soil.  All the raised beds are ready to receive the early summer crops and some fresh plantings of budding flowers.  I still have one or two beds out front to finish, but in general, I am ready for the "growing season".  True to form, I made my little venture to the local nursery and found some flowering plants I wanted, a few packets of seeds to get me started and a little extra soil for another project I am working on.  The place was packed!  Others had the same idea obviously - it was the beginning of planting season.  One thing I noted though was how the sales clerk announced they had nearly sold out of weed killer.  What?  It is just the beginning of the season and we are already emptying the shelves of weed killer?  Why?  Well, we enjoyed a very wet winter, so in response, the desert floor is alive with growth!  All manner of weeds, wild flower and the like is coming into growth - some seeds having laid dormant for who knows how long just waiting this day.  This is how it is with seed - they may lay dormant for a while, but when the conditions are right for their growth, it happens!

Plant your seeds early in the morning and keep working in the field until dark. Who knows? Your work might pay off, and your seeds might produce. (Ecclesiastes 11:6 CEV)

Some seeds are very purposefully planted in our lives, right?  Seeds of learning, seeds of wisdom, and the like are some we might just say are "purposefully planted", while seeds of silliness and selfishness we might just say are "accidentally" there!  I daresay unless we keep a close watch over what we allow to grow within our lives, we will soon have a mix of both!  The problem is that we sometimes cannot differentiate between the two until we see the specific fruit it produces!  While I was working in the garden, a little nine year old head popped over the fence, just high enough for me to recognize it was my little neighbor.  She was all excited to see me out in the yard and struck up a conversation, nearly bending my ear for close to two hours while I put things in order.  As we talked, I explained a little about the plants I had in the garden, why I had planted them, how to trim them back so as not to hurt them, why I fertilized them, and the like.  In return, she brought me some "flowers" from her yard which she wanted me to have.  Then one by one I began to explain to her that what she was bringing to me was actually weed!

She thought they were flowers purposefully planted by her father - because he had planted seeds there a short time before.  What she didn't realize was that weed seeds are opportunistic!  They take advantage of "empty space" and "ripe conditions".  So, instead of the seeds her father had planted growing in the space he had created for his garden, he had some pretty flowering weeds! There is a lesson here for us.  We can "prepare" a place for growth to occur, but if we aren't vigilant about what springs up there, we might just be surprised to find out what begins to fill the space!  Empty space just demands being filled. If you don't believe me think about when you first moved into your home.  You had empty cupboards and closets just demanding to be filled up.  At first, you thought you had enough closet space and cabinets/cupboards galore!  You did not imagine you could use all the space!  How's that working for you today? Anybody besides me have to build extra cabinets in the garage or get a shed for the yard?  We have a tendency to accumulate stuff in our lives - physically and spiritually!

Whatever we accumulate needs a place or space.  This is true of all our growth - good or not so good!  What we fail to recognize is how opportunistic some "growth" in our lives actually is.  For example, if we think we will never reap a harvest of selfishness, think again.  Selfish seeds are opportunistic - given the space to grow, they will!  If we think we will never reap a harvest of fear, think again.  Fear springs up anytime we get our focus on the problem and off of God's face - we give room for the seeds to spring up and take root because we take our eye off what we should be focusing on in the first place!  Cultivate the space - but don't forget to keep an eye on what you allow to fill that void!  Just sayin!

Peanut Lessons

Have you ever considered how peanuts grow?  We get these nicely washed, lightly roasted, sometimes salted peanuts in a bag from our grocer, but I wonder if we realize just how and where these little treasures grow.  Most of us think of fruit as something produced above the surface of the dirt, but peanuts are actually produced "underground".  They turn from flowering plants into underground seed pods without us even noticing the growth going on beneath the surface.  I think this may be similar to the growth we often experience in our own lives.  Stuff springs up on the surface - but the completion of the growth is really accomplished "underground" in our lives. Another thing to consider is the place of fruit is sometimes the darkest place!

Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life. (Galations 6:7--8 MSG)

Okay, so here's how a peanut grows.  First, the seed pod is planted.  If peanuts are not boiled or roasted, they actually produce a rather green plant within about 30 days of planting.  The peanut is planted in its entirety - pod and all.  So, as the pod breaks down, the seed sends out a taproot.  This taproot in turn sends out other roots which seek certain nutrients from the soil in which they are planted - the main nutrient they seek is nitrogen.  These roots don't look all long and spindly like some do, but are nodular and gnarly. To the untrained eye, you might think these are the start of the fruit, but it is not.  It is just the way the roots growth is produced - it is this "rough" texture of the root which makes it so effective for taking in the nutrients it needs. Roots anchor, but their most important function is in the "feeding" process. Since these roots are "nodular", they have a little more "surface" than other spindly roots.  Maybe this is because the growth which will eventually occur more "underground" really requires the roots to give the pods a place to grow and "implant".

Once the seed breaks the surface with a sign of green growth, the shoot which emerges is kind of a long, stem with leaves, almost floppy in appearance. The long stems soon begin to produce a flower from the base of the leaves.  One thing is important at this stage of growth - pollination.  Many peanut farmers also have relationships with bee keepers - or are bee keepers themselves. The bees assist with the pollination of the flowers.  An flower remaining untouched by the bees or other insects will likely not develop any seed pod. For growth to continue, pollination in necessary.  Some pollination occurs just because of the wind which blows across the pollen producing flower, but others is more purposeful as when the bee moves from one flower to the next, carrying the pollen along with it.  Either method is effective - one puts a little strain on the flower, the other just leaves the flower knowing it has been touched.  Some of God's work in our lives is like the wind - we strain a little at his passing.  Other times, his work is quite gentle, almost "tickling" our senses.  Both are effective!

After pollination occurs, the plant does something unexpected.  The upward growth actually begins to turn back toward the surface of the ground.  The plant drives this pollinated "seed pod" into the ground!  Over these 10 days of growth, the flowering pod will be driven into the soil about a couple inches deep.  There, the pod takes growth.  Two things are necessary for its development - the right temperature for the soil and the right amount of moisture.  Too cold, and the seed pod will not develop.  The importance of planting the seed at the right time to allow the 30 day "above ground" and the 10 day "below ground" growth preparation to occur cannot be overlooked in this discussion.  It takes 40 days to get the flower "peg" into the soil and oriented horizontally.  These 40 days result in the plant being able to produce the growth at the optimal time!  What takes place above the surface, and in the first few days below the surface determine the growth which will ultimately culminate "under the surface".  We often balk at God taking much time to "prepare" us for things we want to see brought to fruition in our lives, but remember this - the peanut only grows when the timing is right!

Somewhere between another 80 to 150 days, the peanuts come to full maturity.  The peanut farmer cannot be assured of his harvest beginning on the 120th day after planting or the 190th day!  That is quite a span of time for the farmer, isn't it?  I think this speaks to us not rushing what God may be doing just beneath the surface in our lives.  The timing will vary, but the harvest cannot be rushed.  Somewhere in the correct span of time, the "crop" will be just right.  Do you know how the farmer knows when to harvest?  He watches the growth above the surface!  When he sees it beginning to yellow and dry up, he knows the pods are ready for harvest.  Why do the plants yellow?  They are no longer needed - the growth is complete!  Sometimes we have a lot of "surface growth" in our lives which we have come to count on as the promise of growth within.  When the growth is ready, the importance of the surface growth doesn't matter so much anymore - it just indicates the "readiness" of the internal growth to be harvested!

So, here is our lesson from the peanut.  Don't discount the growth which is being accomplished below the surface!  Don't rush the growth!  Don't look for fruit where it will never come!  Don't count that all growth produces immediately evident fruit!  Don't forget the need for pollination!  Most importantly - look for the signs of harvest - what is on the surface may only be an indication of what is about to be revealed just below the surface!  Just sayin!