Miracle Seeds

BRUCE  LICHT

Food grown from seeds is an integral part of human civilization. Without it, we and all other land animals on earth would not be able to exist. The science of agriculture has allowed us to progress from nomadic hunters and gatherers to dwellers in large communities and cities. Almost everything on your plate (whether fruit, vegetable, bread, or meat) relies on trees and plants grown from seeds. In fact, our lives are fundamentally dependent on them for our sustenance, shelter, clothing, fuel, spare time, national security, and freedom. But did all this evolve by chance?

How amazing that we can put an inedible, stagnant seed or pit in the ground, add some water, and a brand new tree or plant grows and ultimately produces nuts, grains, fruit, or vegetables. It seems ordinary to us because dating back to our ancient ancestors, that’s the way things work. But is it really that straight forward? Each seed is an astonishingly compact and complex factory. Not even the most advanced human manufacturing facilities can take nothing more than common dirt, waste water and sunlight and create such sublime, self-replicating beauty.

Imagine if you buried the body of a person in a coma, added some water, and in time a newborn baby sprouted out of the ground? That would seem incredibly bizarre and like science fiction, but in a strange kind of way, that’s what happens with growing food from seeds. You start with something basically “lifeless” (1) and inert and produce something brand new and living.

Surprisingly, as much as we have discovered, there’s so much we still don’t know about the science of growing food from seeds. We know that seeds form from a fertilized ovule after pollination (2) and we comprehend the basic process of how a seed sprouts, but there are still numerous cavernous gaps in our understanding. For example: The precise sequence of all the intricate biochemical and molecular processes within a dormant seed as it absorbs water and converts stored food into energy?  The full role of environmental factors in regulating growth? Why some seeds require a period of dormancy while others can remain viable for thousands of years? What keeps seeds dormant? How cells differentiate into distinct types, forming the roots, stems, and leaves? How seeds "sense" environmental cues like temperature and moisture to trigger germination? How seeds “know” which way is up? How all the varietal abundance came to be? (3)

So when you stop to think about how many millions of things have to go right, for all the healthy food to appear for our consumption each day, it’s hard not to believe that growing food from seeds is anything less than a miracle.

Did this all happen randomly or by chance, or was there a “higher power” a Creator, that made all this possible?  I believe the miracles involved in growing food from seeds, and all the resultant diverse, abundant and beneficial food we receive, showcase God’s generosity and graciousness in providing sustenance for our bodies and souls.