Holy...Fertilizer!

     Jesus said, "Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." (John 12:24)  He was talking about his life, of course, and the reality that even in nature, death brings new life.  Through his death on the cross, ressurection became possible along with another opportunity for humanity to be in relationship with God.  But he was also talking about the lives of those who want to be his disciples.  The need to "deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow me."  All this talk about dying can be very sobering, as if God wants God's children to suffer. 

     But Jesus is trying to tell us there is often a purpose in the suffering: to bear fruit.  As I am fond of saying, you can't get to Easter without Good Friday.  The cross becomes the fertilizer for our resurrection experiences.  The "fertilizer" stuff that we go through in life often give us the motivation to bear fruit of love and kindness and patience and self-control (just to name a few).  The Susan G. Komen foundation which has raised billions for breast cancer research and screening was founded out of the pain of one lady who lost her sister Susan to breast cancer.  Non-profit organizations abound that grew out of the "fertilizer" of pain and heartache and disease and tragedy.

     Now don't get me wrong.  I don't believe God causes or wants all those fertilizer times to happen.  There is still evil and humanity's free will which is the reason behind much suffering.  But God can help us bear fruit from that fertilizer, from the darkness, from the cross moments.  And one day, we just may experience a new shoot of green growth in our lives, a small light that continues to grow, a resurrection story we can share with others.
     As we approach Holy Week and remember the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, reflect on the cross moments in your life that have led to ressurection.  Are you going through some fertilizer times right now?  If so, know that while a seed is slowly dying, soon a small shoot of new green life will appear...and it will grow...and it will bear fruit.