“Your Life as a Seed”
by Daphne Delay
Can I just tell you, you’re a good mom. I know you’re thinking, “But you don’t even know me.” True, but God does. And He’s put part of Himself in every believing momma.
It’s like a seed. God created us in such a way that when we give our entire spirit, soul, and body over to Him, there’s a high potential for us to change into something better than we were originally. Isn’t that how seeds perform? Think about it. Seeds often start in one form, but end up much differently (like an acorn to a tree). They vary in dimension, but their original size has little to do with the size of their production. And my favorite part is, any period in which they remain dormant doesn’t hinder their potential.
You are like a seed that God waters. He sees all your potential. He knows your dreams and He smiles at the thought of them coming to pass. But the most amazing thing is that seeds reproduce themselves. They say you can count the seeds in an apple, but you could never count the apples in a seed!
And this is why I want to remind you…
you’re a good mom. Or I could say, you’re a good seed.
The Bible says, “I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains [just one grain; it never becomes more but lives] by itself alone. But if it dies, it produces many others and yields a rich harvest. Anyone who loves his life loses it, but anyone who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. [Whoever has no love for, no concern for, no regard for his life here on earth, but despises it, preserves his life forever and ever]” (John 12:24-25).
As a mom, you’ve died many times (to the flesh). I know. I have too. Every mom has. We daily put our own desires down to serve these precious gifts (or should I say seeds) that God has given us. In other words, we make sacrifices so all the potential that is buried inside each of our children will grow into a great harvest of blessing.
The amazing thing is that God sees our sacrifices and uses it to produce a harvest for Himself. When Jesus said, “He who loves his life…” the word love is the Greek word phileo meaning to be fond of, affectionate for, or attached to. It’s a word that describes less of the heart and more of a mindset.
But the word hate (“He who hates his life…”) is the Greek word miseo meaning to detest, but more accurately means to love less. In other words, God wants us to enjoy our life. He’s certainly not asking us to sit in sackcloth and ashes, poverty or misery. He simply requires us to love our life less than we love Him.
And this is what makes you a great mom. You have the nature of God within you and it’s apparent every time you love yourself less than you love the little seeds God has given you to care for–although it’s not always easy. But here’s a sweet promise for you to remember: “Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing SEED for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his [harvest] with him” (Psalm 126:5-6).
Your daily sacrifices don’t go unnoticed by God (by your family, maybe! But not by God)! God is so sweet and understanding. He knows this process often carries a certain amount of pain. Sacrifices always do. But the joy that replaces the tears is so worth it all. In fact, I can promise that when you give your life, your whole life, to God, you will join me in saying, “Lord, I love the life You created for me.”
And to think it all started with a seed that produced many more seeds.
Daphne Delay is the founder of Mirror Ministries in Seminole, Texas. She is the author of Facing the Mirror: Finding a Self to Live With. She blogs nuggets of spiritual growth encouragement every week at mirrorministries.org on the subjects of faith, purpose, and self. You can also catch her weekly podcast at identityadvantage.org.
