Encouragement

From Little Seeds, Big Trees Grow

by Debbie Kennedy
05/01/17
Free to Share

  Message Writer
  Hire Writer

Tweet

It’s the season of planting in the world of farmers and nurserymen – it’s what we do. This morning as I walked into our warehouse, the waft of all the apple seed lying on the clean concrete floor engulfed me as I approached the stairs that lead up to our business office at Central Washington Nursery.  You see, this 900 pounds of apple seed is in final preparation.  The seed is being dried for a couple of days in large areas after it has been on ice for stratification over the last eight weeks – basically, a false winter for the seed. Tomorrow, if the weather permits, the thousands of seeds will be raked up and put into a planter. Oh yes, the ground has been plowed and prepared to receive this seed!  Central Washington Nursery, LLC was founded in 1985 by my father in law, Robert M. Kennedy, on faith and the belief in these simple six words – “From Little Seeds, Big Trees Grow”.

I can smell the apple seed as I sit here at my computer…. I can’t escape it- the smell permeates through the walls! It’s not an apple pie smell, just the smell of damp apple seed. We simply grow the rootstalk, or the roots to sell to our customers. Quality rootstalk is important! The thought of each one of those precious little seeds downstairs becoming a beautiful tree brought several things to mind.  I’m grateful because they led me to remembrance of THE ONE who plants seeds in hearts - nothing we produce. Apart from God, we produce nothing! Farming has allowed us the privilege of exercising our faith through the years, as we continue to learn through experience that we can only steward the ground that has been entrusted to us. God certainly has His ways of keeping us humble. Are you planting anything this season?

Refresh with me on Jesus’s words about seed found in Mark 4: 14-20 “The farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop – some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

Moving on to verse 26, Jesus continues on about seed.“This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain – first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”

Again, in verse 30, Jesus says again, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet, when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”

Jesus spoke in parables. At the end of verse 34 it tells us this: But when he was alone with his own disciples, HE EXPLAINED EVERYTHING. This is beautiful, isn’t it!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, you are in each season. You give life. Help us to continue to take the big or little steps that you ask so that we can continue to grow into all that you desire for us to be. May we be ones that hear the word, accept it, and produce.