Unless a Seed Dies

The other morning while going through my regular routine, I heard a whisper saying, "It's time for you to bloom." Since the year started, it has been clear to me that I am in the throes of transition and what I've learned is that change always requires loss. The loss is not always dramatic, but it's real, nonetheless. Maybe, the loss is the old version of you, the you that you were yesterday even. Maybe it's the loss of people in your life who are not going in the same direction. Regardless of what the loss is, it is inevitable with growing. Typically, I refer to these losses as growing pains, but there are many ways to paint this picture. Call it pruning, call it growth, and you will be right. So why am I going down this rabbit hole you may be asking yourself.

I kept pondering the phrase, "It's time for you to bloom" and remembered a scripture out of the book of John. John 12:24-26 says, "I tell you the truth, a grain of wheat must fall to the ground and die to make many seeds. But if it never dies, it remains only a single seed. Those who love their lives will lose them, but those who hate their lives in this world will keep true life forever. Whoever serves me must follow me. Then my servant will be with me everywhere I am. My Father will honor anyone who serves me." (NCV) The Message Bible puts it this way, "“Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you’ll have it forever, real and eternal. If any of you wants to serve me, then follow me. Then you’ll be where I am, ready to serve at a moment’s notice. The Father will honor and reward anyone who serves me."

"But if it never dies, it remains only a single seed." A stark statement. In pairing this scripture with the phrase about blooming I uncovered an important mystery; blooming requires the death of a seed.

This visual helps show the process of a seed dying and blossoming. One thing I love about it is that as the seed dies, its roots go deeper and become stronger. Isn't that true of us? When we go through our own internal deaths and the storms of this life, we lose something, but we also gain something that cannot be bought with all the money in the world. I would argue that the depths we would like to go and the results we would like to see in this life can only come through allowed deaths. To grow and have deep roots, you must first die. I don't feel out of line saying this because the scripture above speaks for itself, "In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you’ll have it forever, real and eternal. If any of you wants to serve me, then follow me."

While death is always perceived negatively, there is a promise of hope inextricably attached. If you let go of your life, you will gain life that is real, deep, satisfying and eternal.

Why do I say allowed deaths? Don't we all experience pain in this life and loss whether we want to or not? Well, yes and no. This scripture in John implies that we have the choice, "But if you..."

The more we try to hold on to things in this life, the emptier we are. The more we let go of, the freer we become. If today you are feeling empty ask yourself, "What seeds am I still holding onto that need to die?" Seeds could be summed up as anything you are putting your identity in, your trust in, or giving your love to. If we love this life, we miss out on the depths God is so ready to take us to in Him. Luke 14:26 says, "“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple." (ESV) To love your life is to value something or someone more than you do God. You may be saying, "No, I am not holding onto things or people." But are you holding on to an illusion of your ability to control outcomes? Are you trying to control other people's behaviors and set the course for their life? Are you still thinking that until situation "x" changes you are without joy and peace? Those are seeds that must die.

To hate your life is to consider yourself already dead to anything you could gain. I'm not suggesting that dying to yourself, your dreams, your desires, your understanding, your ways, is an easy thing to do, but it is worth it. In saying yes, yes to whatever the Father asks of you, the good and perfect Father, I believe you will have beauty for ashes, joy for mourning, and praise for heaviness. I believe you will enter a season of blooming that makes the pain, the death, so absolutely worth it. I believe the good Father will bring your seeds to fruition, causing them to turn into a beautiful garden. So, hold fast to hope and true life in the midst of death. Beauty is on the way.