He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
Mark 4:26-29
My husband and I are rejoicing this week because both our daughters accepted Christ this month! My oldest daughter came home from the appropriately named LifeChange Camp and shared her good news with us, and then this last week at VBS my youngest prayed the salvation prayer with her children’s ministry leader. How amazing is that?
At first, I was a little surprised because they have been in church regularly since they were young, and I frequently have spoken to them about Jesus, His sacrifice and the salvation He afforded each of us. They have heard the message a number of times! I have certainly prayed over them, and told them that Jesus loves them and that He died for their sins. I guess I figured they had already knew everything they needed to know to be saved.
Of course, though, I was quickly reminded of the above parable. The farmer plants the seeds, and then he goes about his business for days and months (and in this case, years!) and then one day, BOOM! Green comes out of the ground. This to me is just further evidence of what God says about sowing and reaping is true! So many seeds have been planted in their lives; years of conversations, Bible stories, prayers and time with people whose lives have been dramatically changed by God, have just recently come to fruition. Now, I’m just enjoying thinking about who did God use to sow seeds or what specific seeds were planted at roughly the same time in their lives that has been slowly germinating, unfolding and working its way to the surface of the ground to see them both begin to sprout up right about now!
Of course, as a parent who feels largely responsible for shaping the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual lives of her children, this carries a new weight because how these new stalks are cultivated beginning now will affect their fruitfulness in the future! They could continue to grow deep roots into Christ, and eventually be like the mustard plant whose seeds are small, but whose branches are large and wide. Or they could grow up to be an unfruitful fig tree, whose master gets impatient to see the fruits of his labor come to pass. No matter what, they are going to grow, and I am so tempted to want to throw my two-cents into the mix to push them toward what I know to be good for them.
But the very best thing I can do for them is to TRUST the Ultimate Farmer to do His job. It was His seeds that were planted in them, and He can tend to them better than I could even dream. I can’t push them to growth in Christ any more than I could push them to salvation, though I certainly tried! The best thing I can do is to grow alongside them, and be the best tree I can be! If they can see mom being a fruitful and lush tree that gives shade to the weary and fruit to the hungry, all the while stretching her branches up to heaven to give glory to the One who gave them all life, then the little trees will likely grow in the same manner. I can show them how to soak up the water with my roots and allow the Holy Spirit to refresh and sustain my life, and they will want to do the same.
I can’t wait to stand back and watch what God has planned for the lives of His precious little plants! Lord, help me get out of Your way and take notes as I watch You work and move in the lives of Your children.