How small a seed can seem, yet it pulses with potential.

A tiny hint of future offerings to come.

Seeds can look dry and lifeless but they come bearing hope within.

We plant them with faith in our hearts and hope for the future.

Seeds are ripe with new life hidden as yet but ready to burst forth in due time.

[bctt tweet=”Like us, seeds require love and tender care in order to flourish in the way they’re created to. “]

As I read the verse of promise in ‘Reflections of Hope: An Advent Photo Challenge’ by Jean Adrianoff and Christine Sine, it set me thinking about how God births life from dead things and brings hope out of dark circumstances.

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise His heel” ~ Genesis 3:15 NKJV

And when I reflected on the next verse of fulfilment, I saw how Jesus became small seed of human flesh in order to be revealed as God’s chosen Seed to bear fruit for the human race, to bring life from death and joy out of despair, soul salvation and restoration.

“Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil” ~ Hebrews 2:14 

I wondered how I might nurture the growth of that life-giving Seed during this season.

Seeking some seeds to photograph as a reminder, I settled on pumpkin seeds which I sprinkle on my breakfast muesli.

I also found an image of pumpkins I took a while back which reminded me how these small seeds grown in fertile soil become good fruit for the picking, golden with promise, an analogy of where our own faith journey takes us.

pumpkin ripe for picking WoJ

They require fertile, yielding ground to be sown in, are grown on vines and also need vast amounts of soil-saturating watering in the early days of taking root.

They lean toward the heat of sun and thrive best in day-long exposure to its radiance, plus adequate vigilance to keep weeds and pests at bay.

Once they seem to have reached maturity, they need checking for ripeness and harvesting at just the right time.

Their beauty is  bold and brazen as they reflect the sun from which they draw life and sustenance, and their fruit is welcome, sweet and nourishing to those who partake of it.

[bctt tweet=”Can you see similarities in these seeds with the spiritual life and our developing walk of faith?”]

As we sow seeds of faith and hope in the good soil of God’s word, we can watch them grow vital and flourish when fed and watered by His Spirit.

The more we lean toward the light of God’s love this Advent season, the more we will sense the Son’s presence with us, the way we are rooted strong as we abide in the Vine.

May I encourage you to look for the tiniest seeds of faith and hope sprouting in your life right now? Size doesn’t matter, as long as they are planted in God, nourished by His word and watered by Holy Spirit.

Nurture them well and observe how, over time, through periods of darkness and stillness, they rise to become multiplied at His hands, bringing forth a harvest of righteousness spilling over as fruitful, beautiful grace gifts to others.