“… a time to plant and a time to uproot …” Ecclesiastes 3:2b, NIV

 

From the beginning of time, in Genesis 1, we stand in amazement of the life that a single seed contains. That one little thing can have so much potential to grow according to its nature and become from a delicate flower to a huge tree. From the beginning, it was God’s plan to involve us as humans to be co-responsible for caring for his creation. We are the planters of God’s seed.

 

Galatians 6:7 reminds us that we will reap what we sow. It really matters what kind of seed we plant in our lives. You cannot plan spinach seeds and expect to reap olives. It requires your mind, your time, labour and sweat to plant any seed. Why not do a good job about it? And this principle is about much more than good gardening practices. It takes faith to plant a seed and to expect a harvest. Ecclesiastes 11:4 reminds us: “Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.” Sometimes, a leap of faith is required to start something new, to start planning a new season, to give your best in the planning and preparation phase. But then, action is needed. “He who does not sow, will not reap,” the Bible and logic tell us. It is a time to think new plans, to do new things, with the best seed that you can lay your hands on.

 

Sometimes, however, there is also a good time to stop. There is a time to uproot plants as well. Good seed may have run its course and given the expected fruit. It is good to uproot old plants and make compost of them, in preparation for a new season of growth. Some good things in our lives may have run its course and given the fruit we needed. Now, it might be the time to move on.

 

In our growing season, we also need to be on the lookout for bad seed. Weeds may have come up amongst your good plants. The weeds are those things that are not to your, or your neighbour’s benefit. It steals the life of the good seed, without contributing anything positive. Weed your garden before the weeds kill the good seed.

 

In our hearts, there may grow poisonous fruit like anger, hate and jealousy. We find a whole list of these fruit that are not from God in Galatians 5:19. These poisonous fruit harm our spiritual growth and the people around us. It is time to uproot those negative thoughts and deeds, so that we can bloom to the glory of God!

 

Prayer: Lord, we stand in awe when we see the amount of life you have deposited in a single seed. Lord, plant the best seed in my life, that it may grow and bear fruit that will glorify your name. Show me the weeds and foreign plants in my life that do not belong. Help me to uproot it, so that my life may bear more fruit for you and the people around me. Amen.