"4 While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: 5 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. 6 Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.”
When he said this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
9 His disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10 He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that,
11 “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. 14 The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop."
Obviously, Jesus gave a synopsis of what this parable meant. But the other day I saw it in a new way... and as I pondered that I saw more how it applied to me.
The first new way I saw was in relation to my children. Basically I saw that at different times they are all in all three of these places. Sometimes what I say to them seems to go in one ear and out the other as if nothing is taking root, like the seed on the path. Other times it seems to hit home with them, but later you see that they have not yet reached full maturity in that area, like the seed on the rocks that grow up but get choked out eventually. Still other times, the things I teach take root and they really begin to understand my heart and try to live by that.
What I noticed was that in all the mentioned situations, the farmer never stopped sowing the seed. He sowed on the path, and on the rocks, and in the good soil. There are many days when I feel tired and worn out from the continual pace of life dealing with four kids 7 and under. It seems there are so many times I have to say the same things over and over again and I get so tired of feeling like nothing changes and that I'm accomplishing little to nothing. But the encouragement I received from this passage was to keep sowing! Sowing in the good, the bad, the easy, the hard! Keep Sowing! Keep sowing! It is worth it! It is God's way!
As I thought about this, I saw how it applied to me. At different times, I am all of those things: the path, the rocks, the good soil. When I am hearing something from God sometimes I ready to grow and it takes root and matures; sometimes it takes root but dies out, and sometimes I am not ready for it and it doesn't grow. But God doesn't give up on me or stop working on/in me. He keeps speaking. He keeps sowing and changing me.
How grateful I am for His faithfulness to me and to my children!
