Transformation
So, at first it’s easy.
Growth.
Green.
Life.
Creation.
All sorts of good things.
But what happens when something you don’t want comes up in the middle of your garden?
Weeds, say.
Weeds come from seeds, too, you know.
But forget weeds for now. They are, after all, minor annoyances that you are meant to pull up and destroy.
What about a plant that you thought would be good—a plant you committed to taking care of the best you could—but turns out to be a monstrous life form?
How many mothers have wept when they have been told about the horrific crime her son committed?
What about those parents who have been killed by their own child for whatever reason?
How does this change our understanding of the concept of seeds?
We hold seeds in our hand and we assume that what we are holding is good. Will bring life to our world.
Not death.
And yet there are bad seeds. Seeds that hold a secret inside them, not to be revealed, sometimes, until it is too late for us.
What does this teach us?
That we can be fooled by nature?
That we are vulnerable to tricks?
That God is out to get us?
How—and why—are bad seeds formed?
Have they been infused by evil?
Should we nurture them anyway?
Work to change their essential nature?
Do we have any chance to reshape evil?
There are seeds of anger and destruction.
Seeds of incivility and disrespect.
And sometimes it feels like these are the plants that choke out the light of God.
So, perhaps, we should take our role of gardener very, very seriously.
And learn our craft to transform that which has been given to us to care for.