When
I was inspired to write on this topic, I found it so ambiguous to delve in. I
began to throb in my heart, assessing my interrelationship with people, God and
my environment. I found out that there were absolutely some things lacking,
though with no exact perception of that which was absent. It was as if I was
not going to come out with any reasonable answer? This mood of uncertainty kept
me in a worrisome state and in a confined state of mind. Indeed, reality became
obstacle to my happiness. Can you guess what my fear was? …Yes or No? My fear
was that I might definitely be like an old statistician if I did not proffer
solutions to my immediate problems. Of course, old statisticians never die anyway, they just become non-significant.
In other words, had I not made any
effort to decipher if actually I have sowed a seed or not, and also if the seed is being grown
appropriately; then in future, I would have become irrelevant to myself,
friends, relatives, society, nature and the universe.
However,
not too long afterwards, I had an overshoot in my mind, it was indeed a
reflection to what Franklin said, “that
if you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write things
worth reading or do things worth writing” Immediately, another word came to
my mind, the message was - “if you can dream of it, you can achieve it;
the sky is the spring board not the limit’’. The next issue of pandemonium was,
what kind of seed do I sow, how, when and to what extents do I sow seed since I
was not a farmer to have known much about nurturing and growing a good seed?
For a good seed ought to be viable, fresh and devoid of any diseases. Perhaps I was taking it so narrow, so I
decided to consult the Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, 6th Edition by
A.S. Hornby. The definition and explanation I found suitable about seed was
stressed thus, “the beginning of a
feeling or a development which continues to grow” This insight exposed me
and I began to elucidate some factual questions. I started by assessing the
kind of environment I found myself. I recalled that it is always said that some
men are wicked because others makes them so.
And most often, the environment might be so harsh, so confronting to new
and improved ideas; most often too, the
set of people in a society can be more of cowards, betrayers, saboteurs and
very adamant to effect positive changes. I recalled again that dog which cannot
bite can bark and vice versa. The overall conclusion is that all hinges on
greed and possibly avarice.
Suffice
it to say now that the survival of any seed sowed relies on some fundamental
factors. Some of these factors may include societal influence, environmental
and universal influence, influence of well-wishers, followers and so on. Albert
Einstein, a theoretical physicist and mathematician who possibly is believed was the most famous scientist ever lived once made
a statement that “a successful man is he
who receives a great deal from his fellowmen, usually incomparably but more
than corresponds to his service to them”. The value of a man however,
should be seen in what he gives and not in what he is able to receive. The parable of the sower
from Matthew 13:3-8, New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) of the Holy book
validates this on the impact of one’s environment …“Listen! A sower went out to sow, 4 and as
he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up.5
Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and
they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. 6 But when
the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered
away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and
choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth
grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”
But would one now get perturbed for the fear of thorn-like
society, disappointment, betrayal, stunted growth etc? No! the outcome suffice
not to deter one from advancing a developmental course, for both the recipient
and the giver are at both ends; for what one gives, the other receives and vice
versa. Thus what goes around comes around. In other words, seed sowing is a
common denominator applicable to everyone, a sacrifice of exchange that
extends to both ends and entails both parties to give up what one already has
for a growth of success or failure. Ecclesiastes 11:6 holds a support on seed
sowing irrespective of what the outcome might be…“in
the morning sow your seed, and at evening do not let your hands be idle; for
you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be
good”. “Most assuredly, I say to
you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone;
but if it dies, it produces much grain.” -John 12:24
Finally
I must emphatically conclude that out of your seed comes your success or
failure. According to Mayer Joyce, “out
of your miseries comes your ministry”.
So to succeed in your enterprise, you must express your true self in action.
The ultimate is that done to the glory of God, ratifying our relationship with
Him without any prejudice to the accolade of any man. “They have sown wheat
and have reaped thorns; they have tired themselves out but profit nothing. They
shall be ashamed of their harvests because of the fierce anger of
the Lord” -Jeremiah 12:13. We should ensure
that our seeds are acceptable not just to our neighbors but also to God. Our
approach should be akin to when one takes a container with water and immerses
seeds into the container, the seeds which sink are healthy seeds while those
that will float are unhealthy seeds which are of no use and essence. But in
all, sow your seeds in secret for the heavenly Father that sees all that is
done in secret will reward abundantly.
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