Planting Seeds

There’s nothing like eating something you have grown.

I sometimes wonder if the reason that the Bible Belt is located in the south is because our roots here are tied so closely to agriculture. I am just one generation removed from farming. My dad grew up in a farming family. Most of the Southerners I know, still grow at the very least, their own tomatoes and many grow peppers and squash too. I know some people who still grow serious gardens that give them enough food to put away for the winter months.

There’s something about having to depend on nature for food that makes one humble himself/herself before God. After all, it doesn’t matter how hard the farmer works in the planting; it eventually comes down to the weather. Are there enough hours of sunlight? Does it get too cold at night? Is there a late frost? Is there drought? Is there too much rain? Any seasoned farmer will tell you that watering from a hose just doesn’t seem to produce the same results as rain. I wonder how many prayers have gone heavenward over crops and weather. I’ll bet it’s close to infinity.

For the past fifty years or so, we have drifted away from growing our own food and relied on grocery stores. This has likely been mostly for convenience and the lack of time. Growing your own food takes a ton of time and work. Still, many of us like to grow something for food each summer. We may do it because our parents did it or our grandparents did it or maybe we have learned the cold hard fact that nothing tastes as good as something you grew yourself.

Jesus often found himself addressing crowds of farmers and he usually chose to relay his message to them using topics they could understand. He was really awesome that way. He could quote all of the law and have heated debates with all of the Jewish spiritual leaders of the day, but he could just as easily use stories that were meaningful to the everyday Joe to get his message across. One of my favorite parables is the one of the farmer who scatters seed. It’s found in Matthew, Mark and Luke. He talks about a farmer who spread his seeds all over a field. Some fell on a footpath and were stepped on or eaten by birds. Some fell among rocks and grew at first, but died because of lack of moisture. Some fell among thorns and grew, but got choked out. Some grew on fertile land and produced a crop that was a hundred times as much as had been planted.

Without going into what each situation represents, I think the takeaway should be to scatter the seeds of the love and truth of Jesus every time we get the chance. Talk to your kids and grandkids about grace. Invite people to church. Take someone a meal. Pass on an inspirational e-mail. Send a card to a shut-in. Take a meal to someone recovering from something. Volunteer to help at Vacation Bible School. Share. Share. Share.

Sometimes when we share our faith with others, the seed won’t take for whatever reason, but while that is true, that shouldn’t factor in our decision to continue to share. Sometimes, when we share, we won’t see any results, but we are preparing the soil for the next farmer who will have better luck. But sometimes our seeds will hit fertile ground and the results will be more abundant than we can possibly imagine. Our fallen world needs hope and as Christians, we are just the ones to provide it. So let’s go out and sew some seeds of peace, hope, love and faith today and see what we can produce. The result may more abundance than we can imagine.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂