Wheat vs Weeds
When a seed is planted, there are several unknowns about its future. These may include: how the seed will germinate, when the seed will germinate; the quality of the plant it will become; what yield it will produce; or even how long it will live. But the individual, who is planting, goes on ahead to plant anyway, filled with hope that the seed will eventually bear the anticipated fruit or outcome, at the appropriate time in the future.
One speaker illustrated that the seed holds pure
potential for what it was created for. Given the right conditions it will germinate
and blossom into its full potential. The right conditions for the seed may
include being buried in soil, and being watered for the germination process to
start. The seed may not necessarily enjoy the experience of being buried, and
becoming wet in the dark below the surface, yet it needs this right condition
for it to sprout and become the rose flower, the bean plant, the orange or apple
tree or whatever whose potential it holds from the moment it became the seed.
We are well into the second month of the 2025. And the
year, through the days and weeks, appears to be moving very fast. The hours
seem to have shrunk. The experience I have is that my to-do list from January
has already over-lapped into this second month. What is your experience of this
year so far?
For those who managed to get a chance to reflectively
review, the progress you made during 2024 and make plans for 2025, at the beginning
of the year, it was a great opportunity for you to plant your seeds – in form
of personal and professional goals – with the hope that they will bear fruit at
the harvest time. Well done!
For one who did not yet get a chance, well each day is
an opportunity for you to make the time and plant your seeds.
Nevertheless, there is a story about seeds that caught
my attention. It is in the way the story is relayed that made me ponder about
the best way to protect my seeds from extermination and instead live to fruition
in the future.
The story is about sowers who planted seeds of wheat.
As the wheat began to sprout, they noticed that there were weeds growing alongside
the wheat they had just planted. And so, with great concern they asked the
garden owner for advice on what they must do to preserve and protect the wheat.
“Should we remove the weeds, so that the wheat can
grow undisturbed?”, they
asked. And the garden owner stopped them saying: “Leave the weeds to grow
with the wheat. At the time of harvest, they will be separated. The wheat will
be taken into the barn, and the weed will be gathered and thrown into the fire!”
On further reflection, there are some lessons one can
draw from the story, that I would like to share with you.
The garden represents our life. The wheat seeds represent
our goals. The weeds are the challenges, obstacles and interruption that we may
face in life as we pursue our goals. In the reality, our goals meet with
challenges on a regular basis. The question is: what should we do about the
weeds when they surface, alongside our seeds?
As the garden owner advised: leave them to grow
together, and at the time of harvest, the wheat will be separated from the weed.
Wheat vs Weed.
When one considers the initial response by the sowers,
they focused on removing the weeds. This could have had devastating consequences
such as damaging the fragile wheat shoots, thus affecting the harvest in terms
of yield volumes.
Therefore, one may ask themselves, “what is the most
effective focus of attention when dealing with challenges that arise during the
pursuit of one’s goals?”
Shifting attention and energy towards the challenges, obstacles
or interruptions may divert one’s productive energy away from the more
important aspects of pursuing the goals effectively. Leave them to live alongside
each other.
Recognise the challenges, obstacles or interruptions,
but remain focused on the good seed you have planted. When the goals are
achieved, you will look back and be able to see the weeds for what they really
are, mere set-backs or even unfounded false evidence appearing real (fear).
So now that you have planted your seeds for 2025, the
question is: “How are you protecting and preserving them to grow to the time
of harvest that you will eventually separate your wheat from the weeds?
May this seed story be a reminder to keep the right
focus on letting the wheat seeds grow alongside the weeds. Even the you and I should
anticipate a good harvest yield from the wheat seeds we have planted.
Acknowledge the obstacles but focus your energy on your growth. Powerful
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