More than a decade ago, a friend and I were asked to write a book. I can still remember the discovery that we shared a willingness to let the combination of our words and ideas become more than either of us could imagine. I was surprised that someone was willing to share. I was hopeful of what could come yet unsure. I came to realize that the feelings were mutual.
We had no idea how our ideas would appear on a written page. Our mutual fear was greater than working together and whatever reluctance we had to put words on paper. As I look back, I wondered how our thoughts would be received, what others would do with them. I recall the sense that we were participants in planting something new.
This morning an email hit my inbox. Someone was using our book and finding More through it. What we had released so long ago was still finding room to take root and grow. In the words this morning I realized that our lives revolve around what we release. We release our actions into communities. We release our thoughts and hope through our words. We release our lives through the values and priorities we hold closest to our hearts. Each is a step towards something greater. One writer described it through imagery. “This image of planting a dead seed and raising a live plant is a mere sketch at best, but perhaps it will help in approaching the mystery of the resurrection body—but only if you keep in mind that when we’re raised, we’re raised for good, alive forever!” (1 Corinthians 15.42)
I have no idea what will become of the seeds you and I plant through our lives. Today reminds me that they can grow in surprising ways. They tell the story of our dreams to our souls. They give witness to others of what our freedom means. In acting, we exercise our ability to give birth to Hope. It is an extraordinary opportunity, available to everyone. We can use it or lose it.
