Germination- the beginning of new life which is an exciting, yet fragile, time that encapsulates the miraculous

Germination, as defined by Oxford languages, is “the process of something coming into existence and developing”. It’s the beginning of new life which is an exciting, yet fragile, time that encapsulates the miraculous. How could a tiny seed lead to so much life? A tomato seed, for example, turns into a plant producing potentially hundreds of tomatoes – or more! Those tomatoes can be turned into salsa, pasta sauce, or put in salads, among many other things – all because of a small seed and humble beginning.

My daughter and I planted seeds trusting and hoping they’d grow. Then, the miraculous happened

As I recently heard a sermon in my Spotify app about stewardship and investment, I felt the conviction of God leading me to plant seeds in order to grow the garden my husband and I had felt called to cultivate. My daughter and I planted seeds trusting and hoping they’d grow. Then, the miraculous happened. Seeds germinated and green plants poked through the surface of the dirt. Maintenance becomes the next phase with daily watering, sunshine, and protection from bugs, birds, and harsh weather. This phase is work and not nearly as exciting as the honeymoon phase of seed planting with visions of fruits and veggies dripping from every corner of the yard. Maintaining the growth and providing the right conditions for continued growth is paramount to a return on this investment.

The goal of germination is food. It is dependence on God and a step toward freedom from relying on the systems of the world to provide for us. My family feels called to invest in God’s seeds and to steward the fruits of his blessing in generosity and thankfulness.

As our garden grows, I look forward to cultivating our spiritual garden along with our natural garden, because…

Germination is a result of investment of planting seeds in good soil. The soil is enriched by the compost we have created over time letting nothing go to waste from our table. In this process I am finding it closely correlates in all of life. Many seeds planted in my heart long ago and not so long ago and they all need attention. Some need weeding, pruned, more light, or more shade. I look forward to cultivating our spiritual garden along with our natural one, because …”those (seeds) that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” Mark 4: 20.