Scripture: I planted the seed . . . but God has been making it grow (1 Cor. 3:6 NIV)

A little-known novel[1] tells of a once-beautiful valley in northern France that became abandoned and barren when too many trees were cut down. The streams dried up, the birds and animals found better habitats, and the farmers moved to more hospitable places.

One man, a 55-year-old shepherd, felt God would have him do something about the desolation.  Each day, for over three years, Elzeard Bouffier carried a bag of acorns to the area and sorted through them to find one hundred perfect nuts. He poked holes in the earth with his cutting pole, dropped an acorn, and covered it with a little dirt. In three years, he planted over 1,100,000 seeds. Of these, approximately 20,000 sprouted, but he knew only about half of these would live. Rodents and other pests would kill many.

But because of this one man’s efforts, within four decades the valley turned into a veritable Garden of Eden. The trees became a forest, and nature responded. Water began to flow again in the stream beds. Little by little, life returned to the leafy canopy. Where there had once been only ruins, now are neat farms and rebuilt villages.

The story may be only allegorical fiction, but at its heart is a message that resonates with great truth. Our world is quickly becoming a moral and spiritual desert, thanks to man’s greed. Absolute truths have been cut away, year after year. Godly values have been abandoned. The joyful springs of life can no longer be found.

Yet each one of us can do what this simple shepherd did—each day plant seeds of hope, of love, and of God’s wisdom in the barrenness around us. Who knows but what those seeds will someday proliferate and change the world?

Prayer: Almighty Father, Creator, and Sustainer of Life, forgive our greed and selfishness that has resulted in a dying world. Please help me sow some seeds of Your life today. Amen.

[1] The Man Who Planted Trees (French title L’homme qui plantait des arbres) by Jean Giono, 1953