May 8

Truly, truly, I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a seed; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. — John 12:24 BSB

Death and resurrection are central to both nature and Christianity. We see them in the transformation of the chrysalis into a butterfly, in the seed buried in the ground that bursts into bloom in the spring, in winter’s grave-clothes being replaced by spring’s colorful garments. We see this theme throughout the Bible—in circumcision, with its symbols of death and life, in the Red Sea and Jordan crossings, in the Cross of Calvary, and the empty tomb on Easter morning.

Every true spiritual life is born of death, and the deeper the dying, the truer the living. Surely, in recent days, we’ve all recognized places in our lives where there needs to be a grave. God help us to let the Holy Spirit bury these remnants of the old life, so our lives may be ever budding and blossoming, spreading fragrance wherever we go.