The Parable of The Seed.

PARABLE OF THE SEED

In 1990 my husband and I moved from Illinois to an area outside of Princeton. NJ. There we bought a farm house built in 1690. It was charming with a screened in porch, a red barn and three acres of land.

Shortly after our move I became friends with a woman, who was an avid gardener. On a visit to my own home she suggested I might try gardening since I had so much land. Great I thought, and enthusiastically embraced the idea.

I was over joyed with  thoughts of beautiful gardens and I tackled my project with all the zest I could give. I purchased all the right equipment, rototiller, shredder, garden tools, fertilizer and I even built a three sectioned composter. Pouring through seed catalogues I ordered whatever I thought was pretty never giving thought to what requirements each kind of seed needed to grow.

I soon realized this was to be a lot of work so I decided to take short cuts. I didn’t prepare the soil properly for the seeds to grow deep and strong into the soil, I just gave the soil a rough hoe and planted the seeds. I tossed the fertilizer on top and thought it would eventually work itself into the soil, but instead most of it just washed away. I planted the wrong combination of seeds together and planted them in the wrong areas. Shade seeds were planted in the sun and sun seeking plants in the shade.

Ignorant of my mistakes I waited for my beautiful gardens to bloom. I watered occasionally and pull a few weeds, but mostly I left it on its own. The results were the growth of tiny seedlings that could hardly peek through the ground. Their fate was they were eventually smothered by the stronger weeds because I couldn’t distinguish I a weed from a seedling. In other words I couldn’t tell in the initial stages of good seed from bad weed. They all looked the same.

That summer when we went on vacation I had not understood the consequences of leaving my garden unattended.  I had not planned for the enemy just waiting to pounce. When we left I had some growth and a few blooms, I was pleased, pathetic as they were, thinking next year I will do a better. But upon  everything was chewed to the gound. I had not prepared for the invasion of deer, ground hogs and rabbits.

I had left my garden alone for too long and without any care, and protection what the animals didn’t consume the weeds did. I had not built a hedge of protection around my plants and they were lost to predictors.

From that day forward I knew what I had to do, no more shortcuts. I had to study gardening I had to read about gardening. I talked to gardeners, I ask questions, I filled my head with gardening information. I took classes at New York Botanical Gardens. I hired gardeners to double and triple dig my soil so it would be lose and open to receiving the precious tender roots of the seedlings. I planted the right plants in the right places, I weeded and shredded and composted. I started often at six in the morning and worked till dark on my three acres of gardens.

My reward was incredible; I had the most beautiful gardens in the area. People would stop in to see them. My antiques roses of which I had 65 were amazing and often gave off which I think of as the sweet smell of Jesus.  I could bring the beauty inside and see my work every day.

So I understand the parable of the seed. I know that you must plant your seed in the right soil, that of the Kingdom. I know you must work every day, watering your soul with God’s words. I know you have to grow with other believers and they are your source of strength on this earth. I know you can have all the Christian tools in the world but if you don’t prepare the soil properly they will be of no use.

There are no short cuts to God’s kingdom. Just like my garden the work starts when you first awake until you go to bed at night.

Our rewards are in heaven, but while on earth we can be beautiful blooms for our Savior.

 

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. ² Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. ³ Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. ⁴ As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵ Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.⁶ But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. ⁹ Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

Matthew 13 1-9