Unless a Seed

July has been a busy month full of plants, projects, big and little decisions, plans for the future, and lots of time in the pool. Without a routine to speak of, I have developed some new habits that are good and some that are not so good. I have a few weeks left before I have to get back into our homeschool and sports routine. In the meantime, I keep reflecting on John 12:24 "Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." I think this might be my most shared verse on the blog, which makes sense when I think about it. If I want a harvest of sheaves to carry with joy, I need to be willing to sow seeds that look dead and trust God with the mysterious process of bringing life from death. It never ceases to amaze me with the flowers, and they remind me to look for the growth in my own life. 

Happy Summer!

John 12:23-26

Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever

When I asked my husband what he wanted to do to remember Oliver on July 1st, the anniversary of his death, he said he wanted to cut, split, and stack some firewood for future winters at our property. My daughter and I rolled our eyes at him. While it's hard to find the right balance of celebrate/mourn/remember/forget on anniversaries like today's, we were hoping for something a little more fun (and a little different from what we have already been doing the past ten days or so). However, we also know Oliver was always game to help his dad, so we will definitely be doing some firewood today. Oliver loved to work on my parents' farm and my in-laws' farm, and I am sure he would have loved to work on our property too. In fact, his love of hard work with his dad inspired the Psalm we had read at his funeral:

Psalm 100 NKJV
Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!
Serve the Lord with gladness:
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the Lord, He is God;
It is He who made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.

My daughter and I are also hoping to make a strawberry dessert, as the strawberries are ripe where we are right now and taste like heaven. I'll also spend some time with the plants we have growing around here, remembering Jesus' words in John 12:24, "Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." And also Peter's admonition in 1 Peter 1:23-25, "For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, 'All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.'"