Last year, my son grew a vegetable garden. Somebody put a late-season squash on the patio table in the fall and it never made it to the kitchen for its intended purpose. Eventually, we tossed it on the soil of a large planter and left there all winter.
My granddaughter picked it up this spring, and it was light and hollow. She played with it on the brick patio and it broke in half, spilling the seeds on the hard surface. We threw the broken pieces in the trash can, which was that squash’s entire life story. At least, I thought it was.
One summer day, we noticed a plant growing at the patio’s edge. At first, it was hard to tell what it was, but we soon identified it as a squash. One of those escaped seeds fell or was rain-washed into a crack in the brick and it took root.
This squash is now a massive plant with huge leaves and several large fruits ripening on the bricks below. It was an accidental planting - one we didn’t know we had done.
I wonder how many times we “accidentally” plant seeds in someone’s life? It’s easy to recall when we’ve spoken an encouraging word, prayed with someone, or explained the gospel to them plainly. It’s harder to know when someone has overheard or observed us in a situation and we’ve ended up having a life-changing influence on a stranger without ever knowing that we even planted a seed.
There has been an incident or two in my life when I later learned about the results of my unintended seed planting, but if there are more, I may not know about them on this side of heaven. I think it’s probably enough to know that it happens and that I need to be aware of my words and actions because they can have profound results. I hope to find many “accidental saints” greeting me in heaven who are there because of some words that were heard or an attitude I displayed.
What are you planting when you think you are just going about your day?
