Old Seed, Fresh Harvest

I have seedlings growing on my south-facing bay window. I planted tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, basil and parsley...like I do every year. Some years I make soil blocks and put one or two seeds in each block. This year I put seed-starting soil in old plastic trays. Almost every seed germinated. Not terribly unusual. What is unusual is that some of the seeds are as old as my son...he will be 28 his next birthday.

I ordered a lot of seeds the summer Andrew was born. I read in some gardening literature that the seeds remain viable for a long period of time if stored in the cold. I got a lidded plastic container, put all leftover seeds in the container and put it in the refrigerator...in that house...and in the next one...and in the next one. All the seeds I've bought since then have been stored in the same container. Some of my stored seeds are only a year old, some over 27 years old.

These old seeds give us hope for the spiritual seeds in our lives. We keeps seeds in cold places in our hearts, hidden away, dormant, and sometimes we don't believe there is life in them. Then one day, they get put down in the right soil, exposed to light and warmth and moisture and suddenly they seed out roots, shoot up stems, leaves and begin to grow. Such a long time, such a space between seed and plant, yet the germination is true, and the plant and fruit are real.

The older I get, the more I think I see how God's timing is so different than my own. He sometimes shows us a vision He has for us long before that vision germinates. Sometimes it's like looking at a seed catalog for years before digging the flower bed. Sometimes it's like hoarding the seeds in the plastic container in the refrigerator until the planting can't be postponed any longer. Suddenly, the time is now, even when it hasn't been now for years. Then the seeds come out, are planted, sprout and grow. And the time is right. And because the time is right, the fruit is sweet and plentiful and the harvest is abundant. The seed may be old but the crop is current.

Some may see a hopeless end, but as believers we rejoice in an endless hope. - Amish Proverb