There were 24 different packets of seeds in the Advent Seed Calendar which my son and daughter-in-law gave me for Christmas – a different packet of seeds for each day counting down to Christmas. Is that not the coolest gift ever!
I am now in the process of planting my seeds … and I am gathering every empty pot I can find!
On my first attempt to “gather every empty pot you can find” I scrounged up 9 good planting pots. You can see them here all lined up on the back deck with my first round of planted seeds. WhooHoo!
I further scrounged around and found an upside-down-lid of a Costco cookie platter to use as a planting tray for my Arugula, Basil, and Butterhead lettuce. I used a leftover lettuce container for planting cucumbers. And I used a Naan container for planting Spring Onions.
Voila!
But I still have more seeds left!
I have 10 more seed packets left. Lots and lots of blessings are “hidden away” within these 10 remaining seed packets. If I were to not plant these seeds, I would miss out on all these blessings!
So I went scrounging around for more empty pots! Gather every empty pot you can find!
I did some cleaning out of the garden shed and was able to come across 7 more pots! WhooHoo!
The small amount of potting soil you can see in the wheelbarrow is the only potting soil I have left. So, Hubby and I need to go to Home Depot to get some more potting soil, as well as a few more pots.
My current quest to “gather every pot you can find” reminded me of the account in 2 Kings 4:4-7 of the poor widow who was about to lose her sons, but God provided for her needs.
“The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, ‘Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the LORD. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.’
“Elisha replied to her, ‘How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?’
“’Your servant has nothing there at all,’ she said, ‘except a little oil.’
“Elisha said, ‘Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.’
“She left him and afterward shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. When all the jars were full, she said to her son, ‘Bring me another one.’ But he replied, ‘There is not a jar left.’ Then the oil stopped flowing.
“She went and told the man of God and he said, ‘Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.” – 2 Kings 4:1-7
Is that not a fabulous way in which God blessed and provided for the poor widow!
The poor widow was about to lose her sons. In our modern world today, we don’t have the threat of literally losing our children to slavery like this poor widow did, but there is still very much the threat of losing our relationship with our kids.
I very much want to have a warm loving relationship with my kids. I do not want to lose them.
I think almost every parent wants to have a warm loving relationship with their children.
Just like my son and daughter-in-law gave me an Advent Seed Calendar as a gift, so also every day in life our kids give us “seeds” (relationally speaking).
For example: My son invited hubby and me to go see a movie with him and his best friends. This was a “seed.” Absolutely! We’d love to go!
My daughter-in-law suggested we get together to make Oreo Cream pies. This was a “seed.” Absolutely! I’d love to make Oreo Cream pies together!
My daughter asked if she could come over to our forest after work to walk for exercise. This was a “seed.” Absolutely! I’ll walk with her! We can chat and have a good time together!
Just like the seeds in my Advent Seed Calendar are all different, so also the “seeds” (relationally speaking) which our kids give us are all different.
Some are miniscule … like the miniscule little Wild Strawberry seeds. These “seeds” (relationally speaking) are so tiny and miniscule, we might not even realize there is a “seed” for relationship there at all. Such as a text message from our kids with a photo of something that made them smile during their day. It’s just something small … something normal … nothing showy. But it’s a “seed.” It’s an invitation to relationship.
Some “seeds” (relationally speaking) are strange looking – like the “stick” seeds for the Tagetes Red. I had never seen seeds like this before. So also, sometimes our kids give us strange looking “seeds” (relationally speaking) and we have never seen anything like that before. Perhaps it’s an invitation to go with them to a personal-safety/weapons awareness class. Absolutely! I’ll go to that class with you. That sounds fascinating.
Some “seeds” (relationally speaking) which our kids give us we don’t quite know what to do with. We’ve never “grown” “seeds” like this before. We don’t know what we are doing.
Such as the teeny tiny black specks of seeds for Spring Onions. I’ve never grown Spring Onions before. But you can bet I’m finding a container – even if it’s just a plastic Naan container – and I’m planting those seeds! I’m going to do the best I can to help those seeds to sprout and grow.
This right here is what we do with the relational “seeds” our kids give us. I’ve never seen “seeds” like this before. I don’t know what I’m doing. But you can bet I’ll find a container for those “seeds!” Even if it’s not perfect … I’ll find a container to “plant” those “seeds!” I’ll do the best I can to help those “seeds” to sprout and grow!
This is how we do not “lose” our kids (relationally speaking).
Just like the poor widow who gathered every empty jar she could find in order to not lose her two boys … so also, relationally speaking, we “gather every empty pot we can find.”
We don’t let the relational “seeds” fall to the ground.
We don’t dismiss or ignore the relational “seeds” our kids give us.
We don’t set the “seeds” on a shelf … to pile up and collect dust.
We don’t set the “seeds” on a shelf to admire as trophies for showing off. The “seeds” aren’t the point. The whole purpose of the relational “seeds” is to “plant” them. Get a pot. Put some dirt in the pot. Plant the relational “seeds.”
The “seed” is not the end all. The “seed” is potential … for hidden, unseen blessings!
It takes effort to “gather every empty pot we can find.” It’s work. I had to clean out the garden shed to find some more empty pots so I can plant my remaining Advent Calendar Seeds. That was work.
I don’t have enough dirt. Hubby and I need to go to Home Depot to get another bag or two of potting soil. That takes effort. That takes investment. It costs money to get some potting soil. We need to purchase a few more pots. That will cost money.
In the same way, it takes effort and investment to “plant” the relational “seeds” our kids give us. It will cost us something.
It will require time on my part to plant my remaining Advent Calendar seeds. I will get dirty as I pour dirt into pots and plant my seeds. So also, in the same way, it will require time on our part to “plant” the relational “seeds” our kids give us. It will not be neat and tidy. We’ll have to “get our hands dirty” to “plant” the relational “seeds” our kids offer to us.
The Advent Seed Calendar was a gift. Lots and lots of seeds. But nothing will happen if I don’t plant the seeds. All the potential for beautiful blessings are wrapped up in the seeds. The seeds have to be planted. The seeds need me to get a pot. The seeds need me to put dirt in the pot. The seeds need me to water them. The seeds need me to makes sure they have sunshine.
There is so much potential for blessing … but I have to do something. I have to put forth some effort. I have to “get my hands dirty.”
In the same way, as parents, we are given lots and lots of relational “seeds” by our children. There is a lot of potential for beautiful blessings wrapped up in the relational “seeds” our kids give us. But nothing will happen (relationally speaking) if we don’t “plant” the “seeds.”
We have to recognize the relational “seeds” our kids are offering to us. These “seeds” will show up on normal ordinary days … looking very normal and ordinary. Some will be small, miniscule “seeds.” Some will be strange-looking “seeds.” ** If we never recognize and respond to the relational “seeds” our kids are offering to us, they will eventually stop giving us “seeds.”
We have to “plant” the “seeds” our kids give us. We have to say “Yes!” to their invitations to be a part of their lives. We have respond when they reach out to us. We have to show up. We have to be interested. We have to care. We have to “get a pot” and “plant the “seeds.”
As a parent, if we are wondering “How do I not ‘lose’ my kids?? What is the key to having a close loving relationship with my kids?”
The answer: Gather every empty pot you can find!
If there are relational “seeds” … stay busy “planting” every single “seed!”
