Today, I consider things that go to seed. The expression, "go to seed," normally refers to loss; things that deteriorate, worsen, devitalize, or fall apart have "gone to seed."
It's a funny expression, especially when you think about gardening.
In gardening, allowing plants to "go to seed" means you let them enter into a new phase: seed production. The plants direct all their energy into a new generation. The resulting seeds will scatter and take root. Some gardeners claim that these seeds create the strongest, most durable plants. Going to seed, in this case, isn't terrible; it's wonderful and necessary. What looks like loss for the plant is really multiplying (too many to count!) growth.
I think about John 12:24 and how the seed that falls and dies produces many seeds. If it doesn't fall, it just remains a single seed.
If we seem to the world that we're deteriorating, falling apart, and losing our productivity--especially in these tasks of parenting, community care, and teaching young people--we think of it as going to seed. We're directing energy into a new generation.
As we should.
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