SCRIPTURE SEEDS | FORGET-ME-NOT
There’s an unopened pack of blue forget-me-not flower seeds sitting on my desk, waiting to be planted. Waiting for the opportunity to grow and bloom be all they're made to be. But today the seeds just sit idly. I see them, and their presence reminds me, “I keep forgetting to plant these forget-me-not seeds!” Ugh. Anyone else? You have that pile of clothes staring at you in your closet, waiting to be organized or cleaned out (yep, me too). You have that project you’ve been wanting to work on, but the busyness of life keeps pushing it to the next week. There’s a book you’re been meaning to read, but it’s dusty on the coffee table. Fill in the blank here of “seeds” that you’re wanting to plant, grow, tend, but simply (or complicatedly) haven’t gotten around to it yet. Welcome. You’re in good company.
How do we put soil on that next “seed," big or small? I am working through this day by day — taking one achievable step at a time. But there’s one thing I know for sure: the faith ground of my heart must be tended to first.
"Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love. Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the Lord, that He may come and shower righteousness upon you.” Hoesa 10:12 NLT
This verse gives us tools for growing in our faith:
Plant the good seeds of righteousness and you will harvest a crop of love — Live after God’s own heart because God is love. Planting His Word in our heart gives us more of Him, and He provides all we ever need.
Plow up the hard ground of your hearts — What struggle, sin, strife is holding you back? Surrender it to Jesus.
Now is time to seek the Lord — Seek Him first and foremost, today and continually! When we look for Him, we will find Him.
That He may come and shower righteousness on you — Keep plowing, keep going, keep sowing righteousness until it’s harvest time. Don’t give up. Go deeper. God is working in our waiting.
When the ground of our hearts is continually being turned over, we’ll be able to receive God’s Word and grow in faith. The parable of the farmer scattering seed tells us so.
“One day Jesus told a story in the form of a parable to a large crowd that had gathered from many towns to hear him: “A farmer went out to plant his seed. As he scattered it across his field, some seed fell on a footpath, where it was stepped on, and the birds ate it. Other seed fell among rocks. It began to grow, but the plant soon wilted and died for lack of moisture. Other seed fell among thorns that grew up with it and choked out the tender plants. Still other seed fell on fertile soil. This seed grew and produced a crop that was a hundred times as much as had been planted!” When he had said this, he called out, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”
Luke 8:4-8
“This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is God’s word. The seeds that fell on the footpath represent those who hear the message, only to have the devil come and take it away from their hearts and prevent them from believing and being saved. The seeds on the rocky soil represent those who hear the message and receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they believe for a while, then they fall away when they face temptation. The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity. And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.”
Luke 8:11-15 NLT
There’s this quaint and narrow road nestled in the heart of Boston. One of the oldest in the country, it’s called Acorn Street. Looking on from the sign at the bottom of the hill it’s nothing but adorable. That is, until I started walking up the cobblestone paved surface. My feet buckled every step. The steeper the slope became, the harder it was for me to walk! Clumsily, I made my way to the shoulder of the road for relief. Here’s what it reminded me — it’s hard and painful to walk on rocky ground after a while. The street might be cute and all, but looks are deceiving. I want to walk on a firm foundation so when things get a little rough, I’m not shaken. The rocks in our hearts try to throw us off balance. Don’t let them stay for free. Pull over and find a strong shoulder. Good seeds grow in good soil. Hard, rocky ground cannot hold the right condition for growing seeds. The same is true for us. Hard hearts cannot hold the Word of God and grow fruitful faith. Press into God’s Word — the very seed that takes root in us. Dig into community — we grow better together. Plowing ground may feel like barely scratching the surface at first — some rocks may be super deep. Dig deeper. Jesus meets us there with with a trowel and grace in our plowing. Remember, He “forgot-us-not" on the cross. He didn’t put it off for another day — He dug His own grave so we could have new life abundantly.
"The godly have deep roots” Proverbs 12:3
There was a towering tree behind my parent’s yard several summers ago. From the outside it looked totally normal, but the inside told another story. Ever so slowly it was leaning into the fence; a steep fall waiting to happen. Turns out the inside of the tree was completely dead. But here’s the craziest part: when the emergency tree cutting team lifted the house sized trunk over the house and into the street to haul away — the stump’s roots were revealed — and they were teeny! Big tree, little roots. No wonder it couldn’t stand much longer! One super big storm and it could have caused a whole lot of damage. Why settle for shallow roots when we can go deep in our faith? We can have deep faith roots because Jesus made a way for us. He is our firm foundation. We were dead in sin — dry bones, withered grass, perhaps even a leaning tree. But new life came on the third day — a rolled away stone and empty tomb.
Would you plant some forget-me-not seeds with me this season? They can’t sit on the shelf any longer. Here’s the reason why I’m planting these seeds: Each day as I water them and watch for growth, I'm be reminded my heart and faith need the same tending. As I go and pour into my calling, work, and people, I cannot forget my need for Jesus. He alone sustains me, forever. And you too, friend. May it be so.
