I have never heard a seed complain.  Yeah, I am pretty sure of it.  I have never heard a seed of an apple tree complain about not being an orange tree seed.  And I can’t ever say that I have heard an orange tree seed complain about not being an apple tree seed.  They just simply know their respective role and are content on being what they were originally made to be.  There is no fighting or jealousy amongst one another, because one is getting more attention than the other.  They don’t contrive personal agendas and hold back biting meetings about each other in hopes that they will one day overthrow one another.  No, they simply understand that God made them unique to fulfill His particular plan for their lives and they trust Him fully to carry out this process.  We could learn a good deal from these little seeds.

    Before that seed ever becomes a fruit bearing tree it first has to die (John 12:24).  The word used for “die” here is apothnesko, which has both a literal and figurative meaning, usually with reference to death in sin (Romans 5:15).  This dying out of sin and ones self can be extremely painful.  Like the seed, the places we are taken (in the Spirit) are dark and sometimes terrifying.  We are caked in mud and loneliness sets in all around us.  We may question God’s plan for our lives, but the seed never questions.  It continues the process because it knows that this is what it was meant to be.  That seemingly insignificant seed already possesses everything it needs to sustain the elements of the earth and hardships it may go through.  It already has the entire make-up of that fruit tree within it.  It just has to go through the process to produce the fruit.

   Then, after the seed has taken a backseat to its own wants and desires, God pushes it further into the earth.  Deeper and darker become the surroundings when wanting to do the will of God.  We, like the seed, need roots to keep up firmly grounded when the wind and the rains that await us come calling.  As we stretch and scratch through the earth in search of water and nutrients to feed our roots, we begin to grow simultaneously upward.  Now, the balance of establishing roots and breaking through the surface becomes of utmost importance.  If the seed sprouts too quickly and does not have enough “grounding” then the first storm that washes over its dwelling will destroy it.  On the contrary, if it refuses to surface than its whole point of existence is stifled by refusing to “take on” the opposing elements.  Sadly, many neglect the importance of this disciplined process, and merely sit on the sidelines, afraid to commit themselves again.

   Upon reaching the surface, this new sapling faces its most difficult challenge yet, it must bear fruit.  Not just any fruit though, but good fruit, because its fruit will be a reflection of its character.  And as in our case a determining factor for our soul.  Therefore, along the way to “becoming” there will be many times when we can forget the way of the seed.  We can forget that God has a purpose for us and that it is not determined by what our neighbor is doing, but rather what God wants to do in us.  Not everybody produces one hundred fold.  Some are thirty and some are sixty.  Now, we obviously want to excel in all that we put our hands and minds to, but what would happen, if instead of trying to become someone we are not, we became the someone we already are.  You see, God didn’t tell the serpent thousands of years ago about a man, but rather he told him about a seed (Genesis 3:15).  Reason was, that Seed knew exactly who He was what He was sent to do.

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