I moved to a small farming community in Northern Iowa when I was ten years old. This was a very small town. They nailed both city limit signs on the same post in order to save money. The fire whistle went off at noon and 6:00 pm in order to remind people to have their meals on schedule! (g)

Our town was set in the midst of thousands and thousands of acres of corn. Yeah, there were some acres planted in soybeans, but the more spectacular crop was corn. Kids from our community frequently worked in early summer to rip the tassels off some of the corn stalks. One year, a very strong wind storm came through and laid most of the corn level with the land. Kids made money going through the fields and putting the corn stalks back into an upright position. There were often jobs available “walking” the corn fields, armed with a sharp hoe, and bent on chopping out the volunteer weeds and soybeans growing from the previous year’s crop.

The corn grew very tall in what was hailed as the most fertile soil in the U.S. In the fall, after the harvest was over, pheasant hunting was a popular sport. Hunting pheasants was not nearly as easy as it seemed. I don’t hunt anything any more. Such a beautiful bird!

In Florida, we’re used to seeing lovely, beautiful flowers growing everywhere. In fact, it’s very hard to NOT get something to grow. Right now we have several trees in the flowering stage. Yellow, purple, red trees, all doing their best to outdo each other. Things grows so well that a rumor abounds about a man with a wooden leg who stood too long in one spot. According to the story, his wooden leg took root, sprouted green leaves, and produced some really lovely blooms! (You can make up your own mind about that little story!)

Recently, I went to a local doctor’s office to pick up our granddaughter. While waiting for her, I noticed a very incongruous sight. There, in the midst of the various palm plants and trees, the flowers and other greenery, was a lone stalk of corn! I couldn’t believe what I saw. It had one ear growing on it and looked very healthy. I can’t imagine that anyone planted that corn plant on purpose. I tried to figure out how in the world it got there. I guess the landscaper COULD have put it there for contrast. Perhaps one of our many varieties of birds managed to inadvertently deposit the seed there. When I mentioned this whole scenario to our son,Tim, who works with growing things every day, he asked me if there was a bird feeder above the spot. I didn’t see one. Who knows! Go figger!

I asked my wife, Pat, what possible lesson was there. I believed there was a lesson! (g) She offered the possibility that we could take from the strange planting that we, as Believers, are to bloom where we’re planted! I don’t know if I would have thought of that. Made sense, though. I could readily see that the stalk of corn, even though growing completely out of context, was still doing what it was genetically programmed to do.

I thought of Jesus teaching that a seed must fall into the ground and die in order to live again. Not a bad Resurrection Day thought, eh?

Well, here at Inside Out, I began, more than a year ago, to quit trying to be a “know it all” and give my readers all the Life Lessons. I’ve left it up to y’all to let me know what the Lord brings to your mind after reading my stuff. Now you have yet another opportunity to do just that. I can’t begin to tell you how blessed I’ve been to receive and read your responses. Just use the “Leave a Reply” box below and fire away.

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