For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself;

first the blade, then the ear, after that the

full corn in the ear. Mark 4:28

         While the farmer sleeps corn comes out of the ground. He planted and he watered and he’d seen it happen all his life but still was clueless of what happens within the earth that changes a hard small seed into a large edible grain with soft leaves. How does one seed bring forth a green and yellow plant?

        Something unexplainable happens within the earth. The seed grows silently. Mark is the only one who shares this portion of the story. This is part of a parable about the kingdom of Heaven. So the mystery is not how a seed becomes a plant. The mystery is Heaven. The mystery is what happens in Heavenly realms to bring change to those on earth. What happens in the Heavenly realms that changes a hard heart to a fragile sapling which in the beginning needs wooden stakes to anchor it but soon grows tall and strong.

       Perhaps the earth is characterized as female because women also get to carry the secret of how an infant starts out the size of a pencil eraser and grows inside the womb until the time, she gives birth to a 6--8-pound baby (on average.) Development is a wonderfully mysterious and mysteriously wonderful thing.

       Let the earth keep the mystery to herself. It gives me hope that in the Heavenly realms work is being done on the hardened hearts all around me. I’ve heard it said that I may be surprised at who is in Heaven and who is not. There are some people I know with pretty hard hearts.

        Pray for those with hardened hearts that a new life may come from within.