If you have read the bible, you may have noticed that God is a gardener. He prepares soil, He plants seeds, He prunes vines... One of the reasons I believe that God uses nature to make a point is that we can all readily see the truth contained in the illustrations. No matter what language or culture, everyone has seen grass and flowers and trees. We each have an innate concept of how a seed travels in nature, first blown through the air by a breeze, then settling on good soil and eventually being covered by  earth. During the dark period of gestation, the seed dies and cracks open to produce life! The baby green shoot pushes up through the dirt. Finally it breaks through into the sunlight. At this point the sun and rain nurture the tiny one until it begins to reveal it's character and prove which plant it will be.

 The funny thing is that every seedling looks exactly the same. When the shoot first comes up it is tiny and green and has two leaves. Sunflowers, tomatoes, lily of the valleys, jack in the pulpits...all  exactly same...Redwood trees and myrtle bushes look like identical twins at birth. I was wondering about the reason behind this..not even the farmer can tell the difference between two baby seedlings until they mature.

When I think about Christians, the planting of the Lord of good seed in soil, I see that at first it is impossible to tell what kind of plant is growing. All people who have understood who Christ is and in an honest moment yielded their heart to Him...all of these people look the same at birth. The brokenness and honesty that leads to repentance and salvation looks exactly the same. The reasons for being broken may vary, but that spiritual state of the heart is identical.

So what happens to those who accept Jesus and then appear to revert back to their former ways? The bible tells a parable about different soils. There is some seed that falls on the path, some on rocky ground, seed that is choked by weeds, and seed that falls on good soil...all of the seed is good, but all  of the soil is not. If sown on rocky ground, the shoot will soon wither without a life sustaining root. If sown among weeds the seedling can be choked and stunted by the wild ones surrounding it.

The seed may contain different "DNA"...some engineered to be teachers, some encouragers, some faithful prayer warriors and others to radiate with the warm hospitality of welcome...whatever the plant may be, it is contained in a perfect seed, ready to bloom and produce fruit..."but what about the weeds Amanda?" you might ask... The weeds hmmmm, where do they come from? The weeds are the world, the enemy, the rebellious spirits who will not bow to the Lord in submission and gratitude. They may be planted close to you...they may look just like you do at first...but as you continue to grow, you will be able to see the difference between the two. If you are planted too close to a weed, its roots may tangle in yours and begin to strangle your source of life.

So what does all of this mean? I think it means that God is the gardener...we are the plants. Our origin is good and dependant on our hearts condition (the soil), we can thrive and become what we were intended to be. If your heart is needing a weeding (Lol...I'm a poet and didn't even know it hahaha), do it soon before the roots get a chance to tangle. Be careful to till the ground and keep it clear of rocks and debri so that it may produce abundant fruit.

 God word says that "the seed that fell on the good soil will produced a crop of 30, 60, or a 100 times more." We can have a bountiful life, producing fruit for God's kingdom. We are meant to mature into a particular plant with particular fruit...only God knows what kind of seed He has planted. Look around humanity is a beautiful garden of variety and splendor with the potential to grow and reproduce good things.

"The Son of Man is the farmer who plants the good seed. The field is the world, and the good seed represents the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one. The enemy who planted the weeds among the wheat is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world, and the harvesters are the angels." - Matthew 13:37

The enemy is at work as well, but in the end it is God who will ultimately do the harvesting. At that time it is He who will determine weeds from wheat...God remains the gardener even if "wild plants" are sown by the enemy...God is in control even when it looks like weeds are all around us...we will be seperated by the Master gardener in the final day.

Jesus says that God will wait until the end to separate the wheat from the weeds just as the bible says that Jesus will wait until the end to separate the sheep and the goats. There are two kinds of people...those who live with Jesus as Lord, and those who don't...weeds and good plants look the same when they first begin to grow, but soon enough it is clear what kind of plant is growing.