Lessons From A Seed

Lessons From A Seed

Consider the seed; the lesson it has for us.

Once planted in good soil, it breaks out of its protective shell. Working initially in the dark, it grows towards the light. Once it reaches the light an accelerated growth takes place. Eventually it blossoms as a flower or a mighty tree.
So too with us. Life’s experiences often cause us to develop a protective shell around ourselves. We are all born with the potential to be children of the Universe; the Light. Unlike the seed however, we have the option of staying in our shell. Many people have had less than optimum early life experiences. We strive mightily to live up the expectations of our parents, teachers and society in general.
If we are paying attention and have the capacity to be honest with ourselves, we eventually come to the realization that our best efforts avail us nothing in terms of peace of mind and soul. If we can accept that, on our own, we are powerless over our way of life; our survival instinct motivates us to look for help.
At some level, we know that it is not another human being who can help us to some sort of sanity. It is a Higher Power, God if you will, who is encouraging us to a relationship with Him/Her. If we can accept our powerlessness to effect a lasting, positive change by our best efforts, we look for and we are led to find other like-minded souls who are on the same quest. The fear that we must now overcome is the fear that if we come out of our shell, the person I know as ‘I’ could well disappear. A kind of death, if you will. The masters know that this is not the person afraid of ‘death’ but the false ego that is hearing its’ own death knell. This is why we need the company of others of like mind and quest to help us/each other to sort out the confusion and stay focused on the path to light.
If we pay attention to ourselves in the present moment, the now, and exercise the courage to come out of our protective, ego driven shell, the result, from even a tiny surrender, can be and will be an enormous personal growth, on all levels; physical, emotional, mental and not least, spiritual.
(Spiritual in this case being understood as the quality of the relationship I experience with myself, others and whatever I understand as God.)
The plant, initially surrendering, in the dark as it were, having hope and faith enough to break out of its shell, finally reaches the ‘Light.’
Horticulturists twll us that ninety-five percent of the ‘plants’ growth then comes from Light and Air.
So too, as we make the decision to trust God as we may understand God, even a little, God, (Light), gifts us with the rest.
“Be concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God and what He requires of you and all else will be given to you.” Matthew 6; 33
In other words, while still ‘in the dark’, if we make the decision to trust Him/Her/It, (whatever Creator means for us), the results are out of all proportion to our input into the relationship.
We discover God within us. The love and peace and life that we have been struggling to achieve ‘on our own’, can only be realized in a trusting relationship with a Higher Power. Rather than experiencing some kind of death, our fearful surrender results in a growing realization of our full potential.
Twelve Step programs speak of ‘letting go and letting God’
So too, in order for us to ‘grow’ we must open up to life, let go of ourselves and let Light (God), in. We make a decision to trust God, as we understand God, no matter what. The wonderful thing that then takes place, over time, is that we are no longer attached to results. Being unattached to results; ie: leaving the results up to our Higher Power we gradually become more and more free from fear and suffering. Rather than resisting change and trying to ‘control’ we become co-creators with God in realizing our full potential. To the extent that we live; think, speak and act, in a loving way, so too do we
1. Overcome the prison of the false ego and 2. Become a blessing in the world. We do make a difference; we do count, because, like the plant, our puny, fearful and hesitant attempts to trust God and behave in a loving way towards all others are supplemented and supported 95% by God’s love.
Welcome to letting go of fear.
Bartholomew Craig R.T.C., Reiki Master, Spiritual Director, Lessons from a Seed October 2007