What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.
- From 1 Corinthians 15
We have a fascinating illustration here, from nature, that is more than relevant in 2022.
The seed that you plant in the ground is as good as dead. Taken on its own, it's no different than a grain of sand, or a pebble. It is lifeless. It needs activity from the outside, in order to be animated and spring to life.
It needs to be buried - placed under ground and then covered with so much soil that it could not possible breathe.
It needs to be watered, cared for.
It needs good nutrition if it is to thrive. The soil should be rich with life-giving (though lifeless) elements!
You do not have life, unless you put something dead into the ground. The way Paul orders things here: you must have death - or else, there will be no life!
Everything today is all about keeping people "safe," so that they do not "die." It's about "saving lives." But what lives are we saving? Paul says you need to die, to have eternal life!
There's a difference between the courage it takes stay indoors, with your smile covered (hidden), away from other humans (that are, like yourself, made to be social creatures); and the courage it takes to go out (like missionaries) into the world, accepting all people at face value (pun intended), putting yourself on the line, into situations that may be dangerous, but where you can provide to people the most important thing they need more than anything else, to live life fully: your presence.
