Texas Bluebonnets

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.” (Matthew 13:1-9 ESV).

Last week Mary and I visited the Ennis area and the Texas Bluebonnet Trail. You can see from the little picture I took that we happened to get there at the time of peak bloom. In some areas they stretched out for acres. I did a little research and Texas bluebonnets are most easily adapted to the rocky, alkaline soils of the Hill Country. They are very well suited to the frequent droughts of this area; in fact, they thrive in heavily disturbed, poor soils. Texas bluebonnets produce large, hard-coated seeds that may cause them to have a low germination rate the first year or two. That hard seed coat is an excellent mechanism for survival during unfavorable years. I also discovered that increasing the germination rate requires you to “scarify” the seeds (I promise I did not make that word up). Scarification means scratching or nicking the seed coats to simulate natural weathering processes. Once scarified, most seeds will germinate quickly. You can do this by physically nicking the seeds with a knife; rubbing the seeds with sandpaper; or, freezing the seeds overnight and then quickly pouring boiling water over the seeds and soak for several hours at room temperature. It is interesting how this information combines with the parable of our reading today. Jesus says that the “good seed” that is sown on “good soil” produces a bountiful harvest. If we are a child of God, we are good seed. But how do we get to the good soil? That requires some preparation. That’s the work of the Holy Spirit as he leads and directs us along our path. Sometimes I feel as if I’ve been scarified! I suppose I need to be a little more intentional in recognizing that’s the best way to truly bloom. As some of the natives around the Bluebonnet Trail call the displays of wild flowers, that’s the “show.” We were able to see a wonderful “show” of bluebonnets. My hope is that I will be more and more given to whatever preparation God has for me to put on a “show” in my life. I hope you’ll join me in that work!