The damp, spring soil crumbles under my trowel as I dig a series of holes for my broccoli seed. Spring has been cold and busy this year, and I feel pinched for time. But I know if I don’t take the time to plant now, I’ll regret it in summer.
As a homeschool mom of three preteen/teen boys and a writer of books, I don’t exactly have a ton of free time. (You probably don’t either.)
Doing jobs that have no immediate payoff or monetary value can seem like a monumental waste of time when there are forty emails waiting to be answered and nine assignments to be graded.
And yet, here I am, wrist-deep in dirt, reflecting on how similar gardening is to planting seeds of faith.
First, I dig the holes and enrich them with compost.
Just as I want my broccoli roots to grow down deep and anchor the plant, I want to prepare for the moments I’m sowing seeds of faith. Whether I’m reading the Bible with my sons, praying with a friend, or writing a devotional, I need to nourish the soil of my own heart and model a life rooted in Christ.
I’m not always good at this.
There are so many moments I feel too busy, tired, and unequipped to nourish my own heart-soil, never mind someone else’s. But God doesn’t ask me to tend the garden alone. He walks alongside me, equipping and guiding me.
After the soil is prepared, I roll the tiny, round seeds around on my palm, careful that they don’t roll right off and disappear into the soil.
They’re the same size and shape of the mustard seeds Jesus compared to the kingdom of heaven.
“Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches (Matthew 13:31-32 NIV).”
I know that even though the seeds I’m planting in my children, my friends, and my readers are small, God can take a little seed and grow it into a place bursting with life.
Each hole receives a few extra seeds because, just as sometimes birds eat the seed and caterpillars chew through tender leaves, some of the spiritual habits and conversations will get snatched up or die due to the lies of the enemy or the distractions of this world.
I cover them up with soil and water them, hopeful that within days, many embryonic leaves will poke through.
Over the next weeks I water and weed when I have a few minutes to spare. I cover the sprouts with a protective net to keep the caterpillars away. But in the end, all my diligent effort accomplishes nothing if the plant doesn’t do what God designed it to do: grow.
As the apostle Paul discovered, he could plant all the spiritual seeds he wanted, but unless God was part of the process, it was a waste of time.
Some Christians in the city of Corinth were dividing themselves based on whether they followed a preacher named Apollos or Paul, and he wrote to remind them that “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow (1 Cor. 3:6-7 NIV).”
In the same way, it’s not because of my own strength or wisdom that I sow spiritual seeds or nurture seedling faith, but because God makes things grow.
Make no mistake, God has definitely called me to sow the seeds of faith. Just as I can’t get a bed full of crispy broccoli heads if I sit back and hope for the best, I don’t get to just sit back and expect God to do all the work in the spiritual lives of those he’s given me to tend. As Paul told the Corinthians, “we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building (1 Cor. 3:9 NIV).” I get the privilege of casting the seed, but I’m not responsible to make it grow.
The progress may be slow, but I can trust this promise from Isaiah:
For as the soil makes the sprout come up
and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness
and praise spring up before all nations.Isaiah 61:11 NIV
I can be confident that God loves those in my spiritual garden even more than I do and is doing the hardest work of heart change. But I am called to plant the seeds, even though I may encounter some seed-snatching birds or caterpillars along the way. I’ll have seasons when the busyness and distractions of life threaten to choke out my time with God.
But when I’m faithful to plant seeds of faith in my own heart and in the hearts of those around me, not even rocks and weeds and times of drought can prevent a harvest, because God is Lord of the harvest.
To discover the power of little habits in the hands of a great big God, read my new book, “Little Habits, Big Faith: How Simple Practices Help Your Family Grow in Jesus”
The secret to inspiring curiosity, creating connection, and becoming a confident Christian parent is found in small, sustainable, life-giving daily habits.
In the book, I invite you to explore faith alongside your children in a fresh way. Just as a mighty oak starts as a seed, sprouts, and eventually grows deep roots and flourishes, you can disciple your family through small, simple steps.
If you want to read the Bible in a way that clicks with your kids, find consistent times to share your faith, and encourage your kids to trust in Jesus as their Lord and Savior, Little Habits, Big Faith will both reassure and challenge you.
And instead of being exhausted from doing “another thing,” you’ll find yourself refreshed.
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