It’s a job I really don’t like doing, but I’ll appreciate getting it done. The weather is now consistently above freezing at night. This week, I’ll clean the garden beds and begin to plant seeds. Because the soil is poor, I have three raised garden beds where I can plant herbs and vegetables. My plan this week is to weed the beds and clear debris, add more organic soil, and plant green onion seeds and garlic as well as herbs like cilantro and basil. A few weeks from now, tomato and pepper plants will be added.
I’m always amazed when planting seeds. They are so very small. That’s especially true for herb seeds. Yet, they grow to such sizable plants and bring flavor to so many of our meals. There’s one small patch of green onions in our garden box which hasn’t died in over three years. I don’t know the variety that was planted. But they reseed themselves and we have fresh green onions even in winter when temperatures at night dip to the 20s.
As I prepare my garden during Lent this year, I’m drawn to reflect on the words of Jesus as presented to us in the gospel attributed to John: Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains nothing more than a grain of wheat. But if it dies, it bears much fruit.
The seeds I plant, on their own, really amount to nothing but grains like dust. But buried in the earth, their seed form is broken apart and sends out a sprout that can grow into something flavorful.
During the Christian observance of Lent, the metaphor of seeds planted and flowering is often used to describe the death of Jesus and the resurrection of the Christ. There’s merit in that metaphor. But perhaps it is worth considering how the comparison of a seed to our growth is relevant for us today.
Many of us, including myself, work in settings where there are high values for productivity with “corporate speak” about creating a culture of accountability. Work to be accomplished is broken into goals which can be measured. Meeting goals is understood as something good, but exceeding goals is even better. The result is that people overwork and are always connected to work by their various electronic devices. It’s all about ego, ego-strength, competition, and achievement.
What’s particularly amazing to me is that there is a large body of research which shows that productivity in the workplace — and effectiveness in living overall — is maximized by contemplative practice. Contemplative practice is often operationalized in research by mindfulness meditation and similar techniques. In brief, fruitful action is the result of inaction.
Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains nothing more than a grain of wheat. But if it dies, it bears much fruit.
For us to live fully requires that we allow things about us to fall into the earth and die. What are the things that prevent you from living fully? Is it a sense of entitlement or privilege, believing that you deserve good things to happen to you? Conversely, is it a belief that you’re unlovable or have no abilities which prevent your growth? Christian theology has long taught that pride is a source of much sinfulness. Indeed, that’s true for many people who have attained positions of power and outward success. But it’s also true that shame, a lack of pride, and deprecating ourselves prevents those viewed as marginal in society from being the best they can be. Whatever it is that prevents us from living as fully as we were created, it needs to fall into the earth and die.
Each great spiritual tradition teaches some similar keys to life but in different words. One of them is detachment, renunciation, letting go of expectations, or asceticism. These are different words for essentially the same thing. To fully be the people we were created to be, in order to be our best selves, we must let go of the things that prevent us from growing. These things can be summed up as the false images we have of ourselves. When we let them go, then we live more fully. It’s not about creating a plan with goals to achieve. No, it’s about a simple process — a process that’s as simple as the one I will watch in my garden.
Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains nothing more than a grain of wheat. But if it dies, it bears much fruit.
Photo source: foter.com