Unexpected Growth

We've been working on our garden for quite some time now. And because we are now homeschooling, we're also using it to go along with our current science unit. To provide even more variety for study, we pulled the kernels off of some Indian Corn that we had from the fall and decided to plant a row of it in the garden.

Only, we ran into a little bit of a problem when the kids knocked over the frisbee we were carrying the corn in on our way to the garden. After picking up what we could, we figured the rest would just be eaten by the birds and forgot all about it.

Until the corn began to sprout in the middle of our yard! Here's what we now have to mow over every week. It's amazing how unexpectedly and quickly that corn shot up!

When I look at that corn, so out of place, it makes me think of my own place in this world. The Bible says that we are to be in the world but not of it. Much like how that corn was growing amongst the grass, but was not actually grass.

Sometimes as believers we feel like we have to be telling people about our faith all the time. And while that is definitely something we should do when the opportunity arises, we also need to remember that just living our lives differently from those around us is an incredible witness.

I'm always amazed when acquaintances and friends who have such different beliefs come and want to talk when the chips are down. I'm shocked when someone says they envy the security I have in Christ. Sometimes it is so easy to forget that just living the faith can make a huge impression on those around you.

Think of the corn. It's green just like the grass. It's growing in the same place as the grass. It's a plant just like the grass. And yet, it's different. It grows a little differently, reaches higher, and produces edible food. In the same way, believers typically look just the same as those around them. They live in the same areas as everyone else and often their lives parallel the lives of unbelievers in many ways. And yet, there is a difference. They have the light of Christ beaming out of them. They place their hope in someone different - someone who won't let them down - and they are hopefully producing fruit.

This corn has been a good reminder for me. A reminder that although I spend the majority of my days at home teaching my children and rarely have time to just hang out with others, my life speaks for itself. My priorities and responses and purpose are different than those of many in this town. God can use me and grow me ... even in a field filled with a different crop.