Ugly Seeds And A Simple Pathway Out Of Darkness – By Chad Gramling

In my midwest home, winter is a dreary time. It’s a season I associate with the gripping darkness of depression and sadness. The daylight hours grow shorter. The coldness persists. And it seems like we’re always shoveling out. Whether you fight the urge or give in, it’s easy to feel like that season will never end.

I was pondering it one morning while sitting at home with my kids while we awaited the burning off of yet another two-hour school delay due to weather conditions. And I was reminded of first Peter…

But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. – 1 Peter 2:9 NLT

Darkness Is a Temporary Condition

There are many people who go through life thinking their dark season is eternal… that whatever has befallen them will last indefinitely. But don’t give in to that line of thinking! Consider the flower. There’s a good reason they are used as gifts for cheering people up. They represent a rise from their own periods of darkness. The flower began life as an ugly seed in the darkness of the ground. And there it sat. Abandoned, lonely and perhaps even a little cold. Yet, an unknown force kept pulling it up, up, up and out of the darkness. And just as the so-called “ugly” duckling, the ugly seed blossomed into a magnificent flower with the sole purpose of showing praises to the giver of light and warmth.

A Little Seed with A Lot of Light

This analogy reminds me of my grandfather, a man who absolutely adored the flower/plant called “Snow on the Mountain.” He searched for seeds to grow it for a very long time. And once he finally had them, he planted them pretty much everywhere. He gave me about six seedlings one year. I planted them without really knowing what they would produce. Being about an inch tall and all green – there was no color and nothing all that grand about them. But, by mid- to late-July, WOW! These itty bitty unremarkable plants had grown to about two feet tall and were absolutely beautiful.

They had grown and been refined from simple little green stubs into vibrant green mini-shrubs that had their foliage painted just right.

The Ugly Seeds

The best part, though, after the summer season had waned and the plants had wilted, they re-seeded themselves by opening up their capsules and dropping small B.B. sized, black seeds to the ground. The ugly little seeds that smelled kind of putrid came up in even greater force the following spring. I try to remember this as I endure dark seasons of life. For I know they are not eternal, and I know that the darkness will one day be transformed into magnificent beauty once they receive the light. Today, I pray you and I will sprout out of dormant or darkened seasons, living upright and ultimately bringing glory to God.

Chad Gramling is a historian, marketer, and author who is “refining life, on purpose.” He regularly blogs about his experiences and the ways God is leading him at 1Glories.com. 1Glories is a ministry Chad began as part of a quest toward greater discipleship and relationship with Jesus Christ. As he lives, learns, grows — is refining life, on purpose — he invites others to connect, share, learn, and grow as well. Connect with him on Twitter @1Glories or Facebook.com/1Glories.

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