Seeds

This is the third week of my photography class and our most challenging week. We are learning the big "M" mode--"M" for manual. We have to put in everything: shutter speed, aperture, and iso to get the correct exposure. Pretty scary and frustrating for me. I decided to take a break from it all and go scatter some flower seeds around our red oak tree in the front. I spotted the most gorgeous dandelion that had gone to seed...the kind every child picks and blows off all the seeds. This one would make a great picture for my class. I grabbed my camera and starting shooting. When Warren drove up for lunch I was still outside snapping photos of the weed. He told me to make sure I dug it up before the seeds scattered. Well, I got busy and forgot about the dandelion until Warren came home for the evening. I had not dug up the weed and now, with all our wind, all the seeds were gone, and there was just the naked head. I dug it up a little too late. I am sure I will digging out the fruit of this weed all summer long. As I was thinking about the incident, it reminded me of the kingdom of God. There are only two kinds of seed: good and bad. While this dandelion may have looked good, it is not something we want. It is a weed. I did nothing to make it grow. No water, no good soil. And I did not have to scatter the seeds. The wind took care of that. This is quite a contrast to what I have to do to get a much wanted, gorgeous flower to grow. Anybody who knows me is aware that I collect flower seeds everywhere I go, and scatter them in my "way back" where I have to make sure they are well watered, have good soil, and keep their environment weeded. It takes a lot of work! Like the dandelion, how easy it is for us to engage in activities that can be called "bad seed." By our very natures, we are sinners. Sinning comes easy. We don't have to think about it, but to scatter "good seed" takes work, thought, and calculation. Galatians 6:7-9 says, "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary." I have seen this principle come to pass over and over again, but the most impressionable experience I have had was during a visit to Dallas to see my good friend, Pat. We were driving to a local restaurant during rush hour. I needed to get over two lanes. One would have been bad enough, but two seemed impossible and I needed to get over quickly. My friend said, "I always let people in my lane when I see they are trying to get over, so you are going to reap what I have been sowing. Put on your blinker and they will let you in." I did thinking she has got to be crazy, but to my amazement, we were let in... in one lane, then the other. This dandelion reminded me how easy it is to gossip, be angry and impatient, think wrong things, take offense, talk negatively, and a multitude of other ungodly behaviors. It takes hard work to put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Like I sow flower seeds, I want to sow good seeds and be good seed in the kingdom of God, so whatever I do in word or deed it brings glory to the Father. My prayer is that God will help me to walk in the Spirit and sow to the Spirit, not the flesh. Weeds or flowers? (These pictures are done in manual mode. I think I might have it figured out!)