Seeds and Sprint and Such A Time as This...

Last night my wife and I sat down and ordered our seeds for this years garden from our favorite seed catalog. It's a fairly new heirloom seed company based in Mansfield, Missouri, run by a man about my age who started his company in his teens! Heirloom plants are a cultivar that was developed before modern times, and is not typically used any more in large scale farming. Many of these plants were developed by old time farmers to suit their region's climate/culture/needs.

With names like; "Kentucky Wonder Pole Beans", "Mortgage Lifter Tomatoes", and "Longfellow Cucumbers", these old varieties speak of a time filled with character and simplicity. The goal of heirloom seed growers is to keep each particular strain of plant alive, by mitigating cross pollination with other strains. A noble cause indeed, as it keeps not only the plants "genetic heritage" alive, but the culture from which it was born..

The power of the seed is undeniable. It lies dormant for months, sometimes even years and then, without notice or warning, it explodes into life. I can't help but think about the seeds that have been planted throughout my own life that have exploded into new life. The knowledge of the saving power of the death, burial and resurrected Christ. A desire to learn and appreciate God's creation. Time spent by others in God's Word with me, being taught how to rightly divide it, and apply it to every facet of my life. Co-workers and managers sharing and investing their knowledge and skill in me, as well as the talents and gifts that I have been blessed with.

The question then becomes, have I made myself fertile ground so these seeds that have been planted can flourish and grow? Am I removing the weeds, tending the garden that is my own life? Am I focused in what I let grow, so that there is continuity, and not chaos? Am I producing actual fruit, not just this season, but fruit that remains season after season? Have I let some plants cross pollinate, that I should have kept separate?

Good questions to ask, especially at a time when I find out tomorrow or Friday if I get to continue my 8+ year tenure with Sprint Nextel. Regardless I know that the time (seeds) invested there by Sprint in me has been well worth it. And though it's honestly been an anxious and difficult time, I know that even if I am let go, that just means there are other seeds still lying dormant within me that have yet to sprout, and still others to be planted. Seeds that no doubt will carry my life's garden into it's next season...

Until Next Time...