Consider The Lowly Beanstalk

J

ack Putnam was my second grade teacher.  When I came home and informed my grandfather who my teacher would be, he laughed and said he didn’t know who would talk more, me or Jack.  I soon found out that he was right because we both liked to talk.  Problem was, she was the teacher and could talk, and I was the student and had to listen.  On more than one occasion, Mrs. Putnam had to remind me to talk less and listen more. It was a lesson I eventually learned, but long after I left her classroom.

However, there were several lessons I learned from Mrs. Putnam, especially about life.  She loved to have us do projects and they were always meaningful, fun, and interesting.  I distinctly remember one such lesson.  I found myself thinking about it just yesterday and the more I considered it, the more convinced I became that it contained an enlightening perspective on the Christian life.

Mrs. Putnam wanted us to learn about the life process of plants.  We were studying a unit on how plants grow from seeds and she wanted us to experience the process first-hand.  Each student was required to bring one empty baby food jar to class.  We took construction paper and lined the inside of the jars.  A single lima bean was placed between the paper and the glass and the jars received a small amount of water.  The construction paper acted as a blotter to absorb the liquid and give the bean a constant supply of moisture.  We capped the jars, wrote our names on the lids, and placed them on the bookshelf where they received direct sunlight for most of the day.

She promised us that we would see the beans grow a root and sprout a stalk. Now, you can imagine how excited a bunch of second-grade students became over this idea.  We ran to the jars at least four or five times per day to check on the progress of our beans.   However, each observation only served to disappoint us because from our perspective nothing, and I mean nothing, was happening.  But in a few short weeks, the bean sprouts began putting forth a root and not long after they began to sprout a stem.  We were so excited to see this process for ourselves and to learn that growth takes both time and patience.

I have thought long and hard about that class project.  Mrs. Putnam’s goal went far beyond the conventional lesson that seeds produce plants.  Her real lesson was one about life and that it takes time for us to grow and mature into the people we are today.  The same is true for the Christian life as well.  Sometimes during our walk with God, it appears that nothing is happening, that He has forgotten us, or that He is occupied with some other project.  We feel as if we’ve been put in a jar, crammed between the paper and the glass, had water dumped on us, the lid slammed twisted shut, and put on the shelf where we feel neglected and alone.   However, this is far from the truth.

Jesus told a famous story about a mustard seed.  He said, in Matthew 13:31, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field.  Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants…”  What was Jesus saying here?  What does the Christian walk have in common with a mustard seed?  I think they have several things in common.  First, the mustard seed has great faith.  Although it is small (have you ever seen a mustard seed?  I mean, they are tiny!) it has great potential.  Second, the mustard seed can only mature and become a large tree when it is placed in the ground, covered over with dirt, and seemingly forgotten.  However, throughout its transformation from seed to tree, God is always working.  When it is buried deep in the ground, God is working; making sure the soil has the proper nutrients to nourish the seed.  When the mustard seed is out of sight and seemingly forgotten, God is working; sending the rain on the earth to provide water so the seed will grow.  When the seed is struggling to push through the soil that weighs it down, God is working; providing the sunshine necessary for the plant to grow strong and healthy.

Yes, my dear friend, God is working, always working.  He is working on your behalf today, even though it may seem He is not.  He knows how lonely the road can be sometimes; but He is working; sending people across your path to remind you that you are not forgotten.  God is working, even when you don’t feel His presence, He is working to increase your faith in Him and His ability to take care of you.  God is working!  He is always working, always aware of your circumstances, always concerned about your trials and heartaches, always loving you no matter what your circumstances.  Like the grain of mustard seed, we can’t always see or feel God’s presence, but we know that in due time, we shall emerge from those times of testing much stronger and much greater than we were before them. 

As you walk with God today, thank Him for the work He is doing on you.  No farmer plants a seed without the faith that it will produce a crop more abundant than the seed that he planted.  God has great faith in you today.  He is working so that you will be a greater witness for Him than you could ever have been without the times of testing.