The Gardener Sees the Seed
The gardener sees the seed
In the everyday watering and tending and pulling of weeds, he sees the little moments of change in his garden
The new shoots sprouting from a struggling plant
The seeds bursting through the soil with their goofy, oversized first leaves
The new buds as they open to reveal their colors and petals dusted with pollen
The minute day-by day growth of each fruit as it expands and ripens, the soft glow of color coming over its surface almost imperceptibly.
The gardener sees what others might miss in his garden because he observes with patience the growth of each plant
The gardener sees the seed
Growing underground, struggling to break through the layers of quiet, dark earth above it
He notices its struggle and tends to it.
Watering it,
Nourishing it,
Waiting for it.
Until one day it breaks through the surface and begins to unfold its new leaves
Which were inside of it all along, growing with the seed.
And He rejoices with the victory of the seed.
And waits patiently.
As the hours and days go by the seed continues to grow, little-by-little. Passers-by remark on it, sometimes with wonder, sometimes scoffing at its slow progress. But the gardener sees the small plant. He waits patiently as it grows. He knows it will, even if it takes a lot of time.
A visitor to the garden may scoff at it’s appearance
The weeds between the rows
The stunted plants with sunburned tips
How small it is, and seemingly meager to provide
She may think little of the garden or grow impatient at how slow it seems to change, how long it takes each plant to grow.
But the gardener will teach the visitor
He will show her, day-by-day how to mark the small progress of each seed
How to appreciate the slow unfolding of life and beauty beneath her feet
He will teach her how to care for the garden, to remove the weeds, to revive the struggling plants with tender care and nutrients and patience.
And slowly,
Like the unfolding of new leaves in spring
Like the growth of roots seeking sources of water
Like the hue of color spreading over the white fuzz of a once green peach,
She will learn to be like Him, the Gardener.
God sees our everyday moments. He sees you. And He is willing to wait with you though the progress that sometimes seems oh so slow, and through the little setbacks and struggles. He rejoices with you at the little victories and the quiet joys. God sees the seed in your heart, He planted it there.
Where the rest of the world sees only a profile, the surface interactions, the passing conversations, the social media posts,
God sees the day-to-day, the homemaking, the soapy suds and freshly folded laundry, the hours of diligent study, the step-by-step progress, and the little falls, the monotony and the quiet joys.
And He waits with you. He waits patiently for the seed in each of us to turn towards the Light.