Unless...
I am reminded of the words that came from the mouth of Jesus when he said: “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds (John 12 verse 24).
I love words and I have lived life long enough to know that words carry with them tremendous power. So, from the aforementioned text, I am drawn to the word “unless”. This word creates the understanding that except a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it will simply remain a single seed. In other words, while we contemplate or struggle to die to ourselves, we will never really know what abundance feels like. I am mindful that dying to self is not easy, because we love to remain in control. And losing control matters to the flesh. The challenge however is that unless we learn to let go of our defense mechanisms, the external fixtures that in many ways provide a false narrative of who we are, or let go of the façade where we have embedded ourselves, we will remain a single seed. I know that this is difficult to digest and that we would possibly feel the need to put forward a valiant attempt to justify why and who we are. Honestly, we will always wonder what it feels like to produce many seeds.
To remain in wonder does not mean that we will ever know or fully comprehend the true extent of what it feels like to experience abundance. The promise that Christ entered this world to give us life in abundance is premised on the fact that I have truly surrendered my life to Him. Self has difficulty abdicating the throne to allow the True King to take His rightful place. And for as long as the self wishes to remain on the throne, we will remain monarchs who are self-absorbed, being self-appointed and self-directed in our quest to live an abundant life. Abundant living cannot thrive in the land of wonder and self. In fact, here it remains wishful thinking because the kernel refuses to fall to the ground and die to itself, it wishes to stay in wonder.
Yet, beyond the place of wonder lies acres of Divine possibilities. As far as the eye can see we realize that when the seed dies, it breaks through the hardened soil and evidence of the new life appears. Quite frankly, a garden to truly flourish requires a skilled gardener. There are too many examples of gardens that have produced wild and alien invasive vegetation. No, the life that has died to self can never result in alien species, because the Gardener of our lives is experienced and skilled in cultivating the best crops in our lives. He desires that we bear much fruit and therefore it is possible for us to produce many seeds.
The land of abundance is unlike the land of wonder. In the land of abundance, we live the reality of that promise. We no longer wonder, but it is a lived experience. It is here that even our speech is different. We do not need to wonder what could or would have been. No, here in the land of abundance we speak of a life cultivated and nurtured by the Lord Himself. Words such as produce, fruit, clusters, good crops, bountiful harvest, and God’s endless possibilities, are a daily part of our vocabulary. It is not wishful thinking. It is the result of letting go of self and embracing the reality of life and abundance. It is an inviting place, it is a secure place, it is a location far removed from mere wonder. In fact, they do not fall within the same area code.
