Crack me open. Plant Me. Use Me. Grow Me.

“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.”   John 12: 24-25

A grain of wheat.  A seed. Planted in the earth, it produces fruit. 

Sweet Friends, I am asking myself this week if I am willing to have my seed planted into the earth by the very hand of God? Am I willing to be cracked open and mixed with the soil that is humanity so that God can use me to bring about new life?

The soil that is humanity…what is soil?  It’s dirt.  It’s dirty.  It’s gritty. Can be wormy.  Let’s face it, it often contains manure. 

Do I really want to mix with that?  It could be very uncomfortable for me.  I might have to mix my grain of wheat with someone who is dirty and smelly, unlikeable or unkind. Different.  I am often reminded of this when I take my grain of wheat into the prison to volunteer.  But I am also reminded of it when I take my grain of wheat into my church to worship.  We are all messy and dirty in some way, shape or form.  And we all need  courageous seed bearers to step up and plant their seeds of faith, hope and love into the soil that is our lives and help us along our way.    

So we enter the last two weeks of Lent, can you allow yourself to be a seed of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving here in the home stretch and beyond?  

“Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be.”  John 12:26

Where in the soil of humanity can you drop your seed? 

Friends, it takes courage to allow ourselves to be cracked open, spilled out and sown into the soil of humanity. Courage doesn’t mean not being afraid. It means taking action even though we are afraid. And God reassure us:

“So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic (before them). For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”  Deut. 31:6