dailydatewithgod

One of the elements that became clear to me when I worked as a teacher is how much of it is about planting seeds.  Never being much of a gardener it was not the first analogy that came to mind. I did not go into the teaching profession for results per se.  Of course, I wanted to have an impact on my students for the better hopefully.  With time I began to see that my essential role was to layout the kernels of learning both through direct instruction and action.  Once in a while, I would see a kernel take root.  Other times I even got to see it flower.  Most of the time I wondered if the kernels were any good or what the point was.  In those moments, I would come across a flower and be reminded it was worth it.  It became an act of surrender and courage. My teaching changed from the idea of wanting to shape lives to doing my best to provide kernels that would find the soil they needed to flower.  We all do this in our lives.  We get confused when we set up expectations but the truth is we never know how the kernel of our being will be received by others.  Some will not want to absorb it into their soil. Some will, but not water it.  Still, others will ingest it immediately and grow it into something not even resembling what we thought the kernel was made of.  God invites us to be the intention from our hearts and minds as to the kind of kernels we are giving to the world through our being more than our doing.  There is no forcing something to grow the way we want.  The most we can do is take care of our own soil so the flowering of our being will leave the kernel essence of who we are with all that we encounter.