Mung Beans--Life's Little Pleasures.

I have a plastic bag in my closet. It's filled with odd, round, grayish-green... things. They're hard enough to shoot through a BB gun, and I'm sure my roommate thinks I'm crazy for keeping them...

But that's all about to change.

Well, sorta.

Mung beans are on the menu for today, so now these boring nodules get to (literally) come to life!!

I dump them out of their plastic prison into a cup of water and leave that cup in the dark for a day or two. Then I rinse them and put them back into the dark.

After a few days of warm darkness, these little lifeless blobs have doubled in size and sprouted... well, sprouted. Each bean has a white, inch-long growth which bears some resemblance to that single chin hair on your smooth-headed, hairy eared, great great grandma.

"...and you're going to eat that thing...?" My roommate, I'm sure, is still incredulous, but mung beans (or any bean, nut, or seed, when sprouted) are delicious and GREAT for you. New sprouts contain living enzymes, which help your body get the amino acids and other chemicals it needs to help you get to class and work (and homework, and to that date, and...) day after day after day.

As I throw them on my salad, into my smoothie or just straight up into my mouth, I marvel at the simple potential of these itty-bitty beans. You would never think that such a little, worthless-looking thing could contain such room for growth and life.

Hmmm...
Sometimes, I look at myself and see a little, drab, greenish-gray BEAN. I need to realize the divine potential I have. I may spend a couple days (or weeks) in darkness, but I know that eventually, growth will come from my trials or weaknesses.

What would happen if I let go of my mortally inadequate viewpoint (from the depths of my little cup of water) and trust Him--the only one who knows how much I can grow?

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