I have been fascinated by how uniquely different all the seeds from my Advent Seed Calendar are. I was expecting only a tiny bit of seeds in each packet … but much to my surprise there are lots of seeds in each little seed packet.
Check it out:
Just look how many Cress seeds there are! And notice how different the Cress seeds are from the Zinnia seeds. And the California Poppy seeds are just teeny tiny black balls. They’re all so different. That’s amazing.
Here are some more:
The Tagetes Red seeds look like little “sticks” … and the Wild Strawberry seeds are so miniscule its amazing anything can grow from those.
I planted all of these seeds outside in pots on the back deck. Here you can see all my pots of seeds.
I shared a few blog posts ago about how the Cress seeds are just beginning to come up. So exciting! This photo here was taken just after I planted the seeds, so there are no sprouts yet … but imagine the entire pot on the far left covered in a sea of little green sprouts.
Now imagine the Cress feeling all smug about itself because it sprouted before the seeds in the pots alongside it. Imagine the Cress straining its neck to peer into the Parsley pot sitting right there next to it. “Umm-Hmm … no sprouts from the Parsley yet. The Parsley obviously isn’t as good as I am.”
Just imagine the smugness.
Then the Cress peers over into the Tagetes Red pot … just one little sprout poking through. “Umm-Hmm … I’m better than the Tagetes Red too.”
Then the Cress strains its head to peer over top of the Tagetes Red into the pot of Dill sitting on the other side of the Tagetes Red. “Umm-Hmm … check it out … not even one tiny little green sprout of Dill. I’m so much better than the Dill. In fact, I’m so much better than all these other seeds.”
Sometimes this is the way we act in life. God has made each one of us uniquely different. Just like the seeds from my Advent Seed Calendar. Some of us are miniscule little Strawberry seeds. Some of us are “stick-looking” seeds of Tagetes Red. Some of us are little black ball seeds like the Poppy seeds. Some of us are like Zinnia seeds.
I have never grown Tagetes Red or Zinnias before. I have no idea what to expect from these seeds.
Neither have I grown Cress or Dill before. I have no idea what to expect from these seeds.
But when it comes to each one of us, God made us. God knows exactly what to expect from the “seeds” of our life. Not only that, God planted us. God planted us in this “pot” right here. (in this family, with these people, etc. …)
If you look once again at the pots on my deck with all the different seeds, notice how all the pots are different.
God planted me in my own unique “pot” right here in the PNW where I am. And God planted you in your own unique “pot” right there in the location where you are.
Each one of us as “seeds” are uniquely different … the “pots” in which God has planted us are uniquely different … and where God has placed each of our “pots” is uniquely different.
Just like it’s a ridiculous example to think of the Cress peering out of its pot over into the Parsley pot and feeling all smug about itself because it has already sprouted and the Parsley hasn’t yet … this right here is what we do in comparing ourselves with each other.
We peer out of our “pot” over into the “pot” of someone next to us. We begin to feel all smug about ourselves because it appears that we are doing “better than” the person growing in the pot next to us. Or else, we get depressed because it appears they are “growing” better than we are, and we start to feel like we aren’t “good enough.”
God knows we have a tendency to do this, so he instructed us (through the Apostle Paul):
“We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.” – 2 Corinthians 10:12
God has created each one of us as our own unique “seeds.” My “seeds” will “sprout” in a different timing than your “seeds” will sprout. Just because one type of seeds sprouts before another does not mean one is “better than” the other. They are just different.
God has “planted” each one of us in our own unique “pot.” God has placed each of our “pots” in its own unique location. It’s ridiculous to think of the Cress peering out of its pot, and peering up over top of the Tagetes Red into the Dill pot way over on the other side. Whatever is going on in the Dill pot is none of the Cress’s business. The Dill is growing in its own pot the way God made it to grow.
So also, we each need to focus on “growing” in the “pot” where God has planted us. We need to stay focused being who God made us to be … and doing what God made us to do.
“Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.” – Proverbs 4:25-27
“Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” – Hebrews 12:1-2
I went out just now to take a photo of the Cress for this blog post, and would you believe all those new little green sprouts have been gobbled up! Chewed off! Eaten! Completely gone! Nothing left but little stubs where the sprouts used to be!
“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” – Proverbs 16:18
“Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall!” – 1 Corinthians 10:12
A few blog posts ago I wrote about how excited I was to see all the new sprouts coming up in the different pots, and how I think God gets every bit as excited to see the “sprouts” of spiritual growth in each of our lives. God delights when there are “sprouts” of kindness, “sprouts” of forgiveness, “sprouts” of peace, “sprouts” of patience, etc. …
I also think God is every bit as disappointed when he sees that our “sprouts” of spiritual growth have been gobbled off by pride … eaten away by selfishness … completely gone! Nothing left but little stubs where the “sprouts” of holiness and growth used to be.
Sadness.
The thing is, I have more Cress seeds. There were a surprising number of seeds in the little seed packet. I had only planted about half the seeds in the pot. I will need to re-sow. There is still hope for growth.
This time I will plant the Cress indoors.
And so too, when our “sprouts” of spiritual growth are eaten away by the enemy, or by our own foolishness and our own pride … it’s not the end. There are more “seeds” which God has for our life. We have another chance. There is always hope!
