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This is Luke’s last week of high school, and honestly, I still don’t think it has fully settled in yet.
I’m so proud of him.
My little homeschool student has done so well these last four years of public school. Watching him grow into the young man he’s becoming has been one of the greatest blessings of my life. And by the grace of God, he’ll be able to enter college next year debt-free. What an answer to prayer.
He’s excited about what’s ahead, and I’m excited for him.
But if I’m honest, this mama is also emotional.
A season of his life is ending while another season is beginning, and even though I know that’s the way life works, these transitions seem to happen faster and faster the older I get. One moment you’re teaching phonics at the kitchen table, and the next moment you’re standing at graduation trying not to cry.
Life moves in seasons. God designed it that way from the very beginning.
This week I want to share with you one of the most important kingdom principles found in Scripture: the parable of the dying seed. You can find it in John 12:20–26.
Seedtime and Harvest
God established the principles that govern this world. He created seasons, appointed times, and rhythms for all life under the sun. From the very beginning of creation, God established the principle of seedtime and harvest.
And one of the kingdom truths we see connected to that principle is found in the words of Jesus:
“Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. The one who loves his life loses it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it to eternal life. If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me.”
— John 12:24–26
A seed may look small and insignificant, but inside that tiny seed is tremendous potential.
Inside an acorn is the potential for a mighty oak tree. But if that acorn is never planted in the soil, it will never become what it was created to be. It will never reach its full potential.
The same is true for us.
As believers, God has invested so much inside of us. He has placed gifts, purpose, calling, and eternal potential within our lives. But until we are willing to be planted, we cannot become who we were created to be.
And planting always involves surrender.
Dying to Our Own Will
Submitting to God’s plan for your life means dying to your own plans.
It means trusting Him enough to let go of control and allow Him to plant you where He wants you to grow.
And if you’ve ever been in one of those seasons, then you know it can feel lonely. Hidden. Dark.
When a seed is buried in the ground, no one sees it anymore. It disappears beneath the surface. And sometimes when God plants us in a new season, it can feel exactly like that.
We feel hidden from the world. Forgotten. Buried beneath the weight of circumstances we don’t understand.
And because we can’t yet see what God is doing underneath the surface, we begin asking questions.
Did I really hear from God?
Did I miss Him somewhere along the way?
Why does obedience feel so painful?
Does God even see me here?
If you’ve ever felt that way, you are not alone.
There is a strong temptation in those seasons to quit. To stop believing. To climb out of the soil before the process is complete.
Don’t.
Dying is part of the process.
Don’t Abort the Process
You went into the ground a seed, but you will not come out the same person you were before.
God is transforming you.
He is shaping you into the image of Christ.
Right now you may not see the light. You may feel surrounded by cold, dark soil, wondering if anything good could possibly come from this season. But underneath the surface, something holy is happening. Roots are forming. Life is developing. Transformation is taking place where your eyes cannot yet see it.
One day the soil will begin to part.
One day you will feel the warmth of the sun again.
One day you will look back and realize God was working the entire time.
But if we don’t understand the principle of the dying seed, it’s easy to abort the process too soon. We want resurrection life without surrender. We want harvest without burial. We want fruit without dying to ourselves.
But Jesus showed us the way.
Life comes through death.
Victory comes through surrender.
And abundant life is found on the other side of obedience.
God Has Not Forgotten You
Maybe today you feel buried.
Maybe this season feels darker and longer than you expected. Maybe you’ve started wondering if God has forgotten you altogether.
He hasn’t.
God is not angry with you. He is not disappointed in you. He has not abandoned you. He has not lost sight of where He planted you.
He is watching over you even now, transforming you into the person He created you to be.
A seed is full of potential, but only through transformation can it bear fruit.
And friend, you will bear fruit.
As you rise from the soil where God has planted you, the life He placed inside of you will begin to grow and multiply in ways you never imagined.
So hold on.
Don’t quit in the middle of the process.
The same God who planted you is faithful to bring forth life from the place that once felt like death.
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