Mr. Pea Seed and the Soybean Revolution

In Mark 8:34-35 Jesus tells us, "Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's the same shall save it." 

via Flickr

Some people may see this verse as instructions for missionaries in a far off land; however, this verse is for "whosoever."  To me "whosoever" is a word that includes all farmers, gardeners, bloggers, and even red-headed musicians.

My family and I are avid gardeners, and between rains every spring we plant our peas, onions, radishes, beets, lettuce, carrots, and potatoes. Pea seeds are shriveled and ugly and don't look any more alive than the even more ugly beet seeds. But, if a pea seed could think, would it see any sense in being buried? I think not.  Mr. Pea Seed would rather be out in the warm sun; gradually he would become even more shriveled, and eventually he would die. Trying to save his own life, pride, beauty, and self, he would lose everything.

Imagine getting ready to plant a field of soybeans. You have the soil prepared, and your seeds are in the planter. You're ready to go and can already envision a healthy field with green leaves and blossoms swaying in a warm gentle breeze; then you see the harvest with dollar bills jumping into your wallet as you combine... Suddenly your pleasant dreams are interrupted as you hear a noise coming from the seeds in the planter. The beans are jumping out of the planter, and a Soybean Spokesman informs you that this is a Soybean Revolution. The beans have decided that they are too beautiful to be buried! They are casting off your old-fashioned ideas of what is best, and they are going to live life their own way! What a scary thought!

Sadly many people are just as blind as Mr. Pea Seed and the soybean revolutionaries. They want to live life "their own way," and forget about God's plans. They say, "Oh, I want to have fun for a while, and when I'm old then the Lord can have His way." But when they're older it might be too late. Don't let your youth and vitality go to waste. Plant yourself in God's plans for your life. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." You won't remain a shriveled up pea seed, selfishly seeking your own good, but you'll grow into a beautiful plant, blossom, and be a blessing to many people. Complete surrender to Jesus Christ, the Master Planter, is the only way to fulfillment and happiness in life. All else is as senseless as a soybean seed revolution.