In many places, the Bible uses the metaphor of agricultural growth to describe what it means to practice resurrection. And anyone who has planted seeds knows the kind of work required to grow a plant. The growth itself is out of our hands. If the seed is bad, then no amount of gardening will help. But, if the seed is good, then what we do will have an impact on growth. And what do we do? A lot of the same thing, day after day. Fertilize. Water. Pull weeds.
One of the seeds I'm cultivating is to daily begin with an acknowledgement that I cannot resurrect myself. Only God can do this in my life. I need to be content with the somewhat mundane business of fertilizing, watering, and pulling weeds. Patience. Satisfaction that, although nothing is poking through the ground just yet, the day was not wasted when I fertilized my heart by meditating on a Scripture passage. Belief that watering a seed that is buried beneath the soil is how I'll participate in God's miracle of growth. Determination that even the smallest weeds are robbing the seed of nutrients, and that the effort to bend over and pluck them out is worth the trouble. And to do these things day after day, persevering in the repetition that is cultivation.
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