The Miracle of a Seed

When traveling in northern Mexico, I have noticed that during late summer and early fall it is common to see large strings of chili peppers, known as “ristras,” hanging from buildings and fences to dry. Ristras are an old tradition used to preserve the bright red chilies until they are needed. Some homes in the desert southwest of the United States now use these colorful chili ristras as front porch decorations.

One spring day, a very old ristra hanging over my porch began to dry up and fall apart. Small, paper-thin chili seeds were scattered everywhere. Most of these seeds blew away in the wind or fell to the rocks and gravel below, but a few seeds fell into my garden. With good soil and regular water, it did not take long for these old, dry seeds to sprout new chili plants. Seeds that appeared to be dead quickly came to life in fertile soil. Those plants grew and produced many chili peppers along with countless more seeds. What a miracle!

Like seeds in fertile ground, it takes only a few faithful believers sharing God’s word to reach people who are receptive to Jesus’ message of love. And when we provide continuing encouragement, we can nurture new communities of faith.