the kingdom of heaven is like a seed

Yesterday evening I stopped by my garden to water and weed and was amazed to discover that my beans were ready for picking. I am still always amazed by fruits and vegetables that actually ripen. It seems impossible somehow that a seed I tossed in the ground, almost carelessly (although I tend to put a lot of care into my planting, and I can never quite avoid thinking of my plants as children), could suddenly spring into life like that. It's surprising enough when the plant first begins to sprout. But when the fruit ripens, it's magic.

Our first delivery from our CSA was also last night, so we ended up with quite a bit of fresh local food. The food from the farm right now is still mostly greens (which is unfortunate, since the kale in my garden is really taking off too), but there were some squash, onions, and strawberries, too. I threw together an impromptu dinner with a can of black beans and a quick pot of rice, and we had salad burritos with green and black beans. We borrowed tomatoes from the neighbors, because ours aren't close to ripe yet.

But it was a lovely moment to finally be eating our own food again. I don't think it's an accident that so many of Jesus' analogies about heaven and the Kingdom of God had to do with seeds. Of course He was speaking to rural agriculturalists, and He used analogies from their lives. But even for us modern gardeners, there's a great deal to be learned from seeds. Like the patience required before something can grow. Like our own inability to force beauty to come to fruition. Like the truth that the purpose of something can take a long time to be realized, or even visible, but it will show itself in the end.