Get growing?

I was at an event with some women recently and the group was discussing ways to process grief and loss. Actually, we were there to work on an activity to help us process, not to share our stories of loss. But in the midst of the creativity, friendly conversation emerged and quickly turned towards hard things. One woman expressed her vehement dislike for the word “growth.”

Why isn’t it enough to just be a seed, she quipped? Why do we have to become a flower or a tree or something grand? Can’t we just remain a seed that be enough?

I’ve been thinking about it ever since. It’s a great question, really.

The Bible is full of references to seed. Faith of a mustard seed (the smallest seed). Sowing seeds. Seeds scattering on various soils and the outcome of their growth. I think we’re meant to grow. Paul tells us we’re a work in progress, still growing. We read about bearing fruit. More growth. The vine and the branches. The growth of the church. The spread of the Gospel. Growth is found at every turn of the page in the New Testament.

But the question remains: are we enough just as we are? Right now. Maybe as a seed.

I think the answer is a both/and. I’m not sure I can fully articulate it. But I think we’re enough - loved- just as we are right now. Jesus died for us while we were sinners. And, I think we’re called to grow. But we’re not the source of the growth. God is. He provides. He invites. He shapes. We show up, and stay connected to him and the growth will happen without us forcing it. I’m never seen a tree squeeze out it’s fruit. It happens naturally. Magically almost. Divinely.

Perhaps the same is true for us. As we rely on Him and quit trying to make it happen, it just does. When we allow Him to nurture us, growth happens. It’s the way He created us. He doesn’t demand it, but we can’t help but be drawn out of the dirt when we sit in His love and light. He loves the seed within. Absolutely. But when we stay fixed on Him and allow Him to tend to us, new life bursts forth.