Planting Seeds in Storms (Week 14)

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​Do you ever feel like the second you plant seeds, a storm comes through and destroys them? Like, the seeds of your efforts don’t have time to take root before the storm washes them away?
 
I’m thinking about the day-to-day efforts... like the second you get the house cleaned, or finally make your way through the to-do list. However, there are also bigger seeds— seeds of personal growth, career, and family. Often, no sooner than we plant them, a storm comes and threatens to wash them away.

A couple years ago, my husband and I found out we were pregnant with our first baby. We watered our new family seed with care and preparation through, what seemed like, a healthy pregnancy. When she arrived, however, the biggest storm of our lives came too— we found that our daughter had suffered a brain injury in the womb.

​Bigger and bigger storms seemed to come as we tried our best to navigate her complicated, but beautiful, life on this earth for three months. We planted seeds of faith, in spite of the incessant storms.
 
When I think about people who have weathered storms, I think about Ruth. When her husband died she was left to take care of her mother-in-law who was also a widow. In their days, it was very difficult for widows to survive (Ruth 1:5). She had a decision to make: either leave her mother-in-law to go back to her old home (and, likewise, their false gods), OR stay with Naomi and stand firm in her newfound faith in the Lord.
 
Ruth chose to stand firm, be loyal, and trust in the Lord’s plan for her life. (Ruth 1:16). She planted seeds of faith in her trustworthy God, in spite of her uncertain future.
 
In stark contrast to Ruth, in Judges we read about Samson, who was born with great power. He was favored by God and given unbelievable strength. However, Samson planted his “seeds” in the shallow soil of his own might. He chose to trust in his own power, instead of trusting God’s. When storms showed up in Samson’s life, he got into more and more trouble. In the end, Samson returns to trusting in God and is used to bring judgment on the Philistines. However, it cost him everything. 
 
As for Ruth, God not only gave her wisdom and strength to weather the storm, but He also placed her right in the lineage of King David and, ultimately, Jesus.
 
As for my husband and I, our seeds planted in faith in God helped us remain in peace, even as we laid our newborn baby to rest.
 
It doesn’t matter your position or status on this earth— storms will come. No one is immune to the trials of this fallen world. Your ability to weather the storms of your life doesn’t come from your will or your strength, but from trusting in God’s will and planting your seeds in a solid foundation of faith in Him. He is the trustworthy soil we can count on to stand firm. The words of the psalmist, David resonate with me when he says: “My flesh and heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:26).
 
Continue to plant seeds in your life, but plant them in faith-rich soil, fertilized by endless worship to the One who can weather any storm. His will is always greater than our own and will help us to weather any storm that may come our way. 
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About the Author

My name is Danielle Biddy and I live with my husband and two bulldogs in North Georgia. I am an occupational therapist working with children with special needs. Our daughter Caroline was born in March of 2019, but passed away three months later due to a brain injury sustained in the womb. Her beautiful, short life taught me so many lessons about being a mom of faith, including lessons of overcoming trials by relying on hope, gratitude, and love for our Savior. 

We are now expecting our rainbow baby, a little boy named Jace. We look forward to watching God’s plan to continue to unfold for our lives.

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