Seeds From a Plastic Tree

“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.” -Luke 8:5-8

Written by: Heidi Farris

Last September, my mom moved two and a half hours north from a big house in a big town to a tiny house in a tiny town. She has “that house” in town. You know, the one on the main road with the, ahem, overenthusiastic seasonal decorations... I am sure her house is already a landmark people use to give directions in Richmond, Maine.

When Christmas came she realized her new house is too small to fit her big tree from her big house, so we mounted the plastic monstrosity (tied with rope, zip-tied, and jammed into a fence) outside close to the road. She decided she was going to keep it up and decorate it with the holiday themes throughout the year as long as the plastic branches stayed together. For years, her decorating has always included something about God.

There is one chain store in Richmond: Dollar General. Maybe she bought everything they had because I didn't see any other houses with decorations like hers. There was certainly enough in her front yard to fill Aisle 2. The Christmas tree included poinsettias, angels, any leftover decorations from the old house that could survive the Maine winds, and a Nativity Scene.

In February, her tree was decorated with Dollar General Valentines, homemade plastic plate hearts and a “God Loves You” sign.

Easter came and my mom headed back to Dollar General for lots of pastel eggs and fake flowers to “plant”. On the tree, she zip-tied a sign: “He is Risen. Happy Easter.”

She likes this Easter look. It is still Easter-themed, although now she added the solar-powered flamingos her granddaughters gave her for Easter to spark things up a little.

Today, a car pulled over right in front of her house. A man jumped out of his car and attached an envelope to her Easter tree. Mom was curious and the wind was blowing like crazy, so she ran out to get it. On the envelope, it said “Christ is Risen. Happy Easter.” Inside was an Easter card and taped on that card was a hundred dollar bill!

Obviously, he had a card and a plan to tie the card to the tree, so he had seen my mom's tree before. I like to think he was encouraged every time he drove by that kooky tree and he just wanted to thank her in his own way. 

What could all this possibly teach us about our walk with God?

First, God has provided all his children with seeds of faith. There are as many different seeds of faith as there are seeds in nature. Figure out what you have been provided. Even if your seed of faith doesn't look like it's going to grow anything, sow it anyways. Sometimes even plastic seeds reap big harvests.

Second, we never know how we are affecting people around us when we share our faith. We don't have to be standing in front of the church, preaching a sermon or sharing our testimony. Those are valuable, but our unique seeds can also be a knock on a door with a meal, sending financial support from thousands of miles away, or offering a shoulder to cry on.

Finally, sharing our faith, even in a small way, can plant a seed of future faith. Sometimes it may look like your sowing was fruitless, but be patient. Some plants take a long time to germinate. How many of my mom's passersby have thought of Jesus just because of her tree? To some, it will fall on rocky ground and wither. Some will look at her tree and see, but then be distracted by their podcasts or work. But, some will grow and be emboldened and inspired and realize they want to know more about life with our Loving Father.

Friend, if you feel a prompting to share your faith, don't overthink it. Don't shoot for perfection. Just do it. God uses every seed we are willing to plant. He is waiting for our hearts to be in the right place and for us to do something about it. You may never know the impact until you meet Jesus. Or, just maybe, you'll find a gift of friendship on a plastic tree.