Good afternoon, friends. This is Pastor Don. I just said to Mary Ann the other day: “Well, don’t you think it’s about time to plant some peas or a little lettuce in our raised bed?” Spring is the time to plant, isn’t it?
The thing about planting seeds is this: It is so much about faith! You put a seed into the ground, cover it up, and take your hands off of it and leave it alone. And basically, that’s it! That’s just about all you can do.
I have learned that so much of life is about planting seeds like that. You do things that you think are right, you say things that you think are true, you life in a way that you hope will be an example for others in your care and in your circle of influence. Those things are like seeds. If you are constantly digging them up to check on them to see how they are doing, you kill them! Your only job is to plant the seed, then walk away from it and trust.
Jesus was clear to tell us that some seeds just don’t thrive for one reason or another. But we can be encouraged to know that some seeds thrive and grow in the hearts of “those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.”
Whether or not the seeds we plant end up ultimately producing fruit seems to be basically out of our hands. I find that both quite frustrating and quite liberating all at the same time. And parents, the best that I can tell, we have no guarantee that we will ever see which seeds actually flourish. It’s all about trust.
Let’s pray: Great gardener, you are the one who supervises the seeds and makes them grow. Help us to do our best and then leave it all to you. Amen.
