God’s Greenhouse
I open the door and the smell of earth permeates my nostrils. Tiny green shoots emerge each day as the seeds planted begin their journey to a full-grown plant. My greenhouse abounds with a variety of fruits, vegetables, and flowers. To me these plants provide hope – of blessed things to come.
I love sorting through my seeds with visions of the produce they will provide. I picture the large pumpkins and cucumbers with their trailing vines in abundance. I see rows of berries burst forth with their red and black treasures. I envision digging in the earth to retrieve luscious carrots and potatoes.
None of these plants happen, though, without a seed of some sort. It intrigues me to work with the different types of seeds and see firsthand the wonder of God’s creative power. Some of my seeds are so very tiny that I can barely grasp them to plant in the soil. Yet, these tiny missives will turn into substantial size plants if all goes well with their growing conditions.
As I work through my seed packets I need to be mindful of the instructions given for each type of plant. Some seeds require light to germinate and need to be placed on the top of the soil. Others must be covered to a particular depth or they will not grow. Each seed has its own specifications for light and water needs.
While I might devote hours to filling containers with soil and provide the correct lighting and moisture levels, I cannot of myself make these seeds grow. Ultimately it is God who takes the seed and brings it to fruition. The Designer of the universe has a hand in each and every growing thing.
Our lives resemble these seeds. We do not grow of our own volition. We require the nourishment that only our Heavenly Father provides. We need God’s encouragement to thrive.
A lot depends on where the seed of our life is planted. Scripture gives us this example in the parable Jesus shares in the Gospel of Matthew:
As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. (Matthew 13: 4-8 NIV)
Have you ever jumped on a bandwagon of some sort? Maybe the latest fad captures you and you run with it for a while until the appeal dies off? That is what it is like when you plant the seed in rocky soil. It might grow for a bit, but there is nothing there to sustain it for the long term. It has its short burst of life and then it is gone.
Perhaps you are trying to grow the seed of your life in amidst a number of worldly attitudes and beliefs. At times you let these ungodly influences permeate your life. That is like planting the seed of your life in amidst the thorns. It is challenging to grow with so many obstacles ever present.
We want the seeds of our life to be planted in full, rich soil – the type that only God provides. Only there can we truly grow into all that God designs us to be.
Maybe the seeds in your life have been planted but they are lying dormant right now. It’s as if these seeds are sitting in the greenhouse trays, planted in lovely soil, but nothing is happening. Without adequate nurture and light, even the best greenhouse plants will not produce. So, it is with us.
The power of the seed is in God Himself. He lovingly waters the seeds in our lives with His living Word. These seeds awaken with the light of our Lord and Saviour who reaches out to us with His love and mercy, ready to help us grow into whom God designed us to be.
As we manoeuvre through these troubled times, I hope and pray that we can take away the blinders and let the magnificent radiance of our Lord and Saviour burst forth in our lives, creating strong healthy “plants” that are ready to do what God intended them to do.
Open your heart to God’s wonders. You will be amazed at what He can grow within you.
