Grow—Now!

In the children’s book Frog and Toad Together, Toad admires  Frog’s garden. Toad wants to grow flowers too, so Frog gives him  some seeds. But, Frog warns him, gardening is hard work. So Toad  runs off and puts his seeds in the ground. Then he jumps up and  down and shouts for the seeds to begin growing immediately! 

As I read that story aloud to my grandson, I chuckled at Toad’s  unholy impatience to get his seeds to grow. But then I went outside  and saw my bed of carrots. I also wanted to yell at the seeds to start  growing immediately. To germinate in our sandy soil, I have to keep  them evenly moist for three weeks. Three weeks is a long time to  look at bare dirt. I want to shout with Toad, “Come on, already!”  Gardening is hard work. 

Seed science is extraordinary. Germination is a tenuous process:  not all seeds germinate, some rot, some never come up. Under  ideal conditions, the seed coat swells with moisture and begins to  transform. Two leaves erupt (in a dicotyledon), looking nothing  like the hard seed. The tiny plant relies on the food stored within  the seed. The dampness of fungus can wilt it. Dryness can kill it.  When the second set of leaves erupts, that is a sign that the plant has  developed its own root system. It will grow. 

Jesus says that the kingdom of God is like the seeds that grow of  their own accord. We do not know how the kingdom of God grows.  Some days we might want to jump up and down and bellow, “Hey  God, get working now!” 

We are not in charge of transformation. But we can water. We can  tend. In the grace of the Holy Spirit, we work hard while allowing  Divine Mystery to be mystery, God to be God.

Consider/Discuss 

• It is hard to wait. Sometimes we want to jump up and down and shout,  “Hey God, get going!” We want to be in control. We want to make things  happen already. How do excess worry, unproductive fretting, and unholy  impatience reflect our lack of trust? On the other hand, how does a  healthy dose of concern keep us watering and tending? Where is the fine  line between the two? 
• Just because the kingdom of God is a mystery does not suggest that we  be lazy, settle for mediocrity, or excuse ourselves, in our efforts to further  the Kingdom. Soil conditions are up to us. If we offer too heavy a clay, too  shady a spot, and give too much or too little water, seeds can die. We are  partners with God in the growth of the Kingdom. What tending does God  want me to do today? 

Living and Praying with the Word 

Lord, your friend St. Paul tells us that we feel far from you while  we are in this human body. We have to walk by faith because we do  not see you. And yet you are also here. You are a constant gardener,  present among us, planting and reaping in ways that we do not see  or know. Even as we jump up and down in fret and worry, grant us  the grace of inner calm that all will be well. We are willing to work  to make your kingdom come. But only you can make it happen.  Help us to trust in your timing.