Spring is a wonderful opportunity to teach your children about the parable of the sower.  Jesus used parables as a way to teach his disciples.  Parables are short stories that teach a moral lesson.  The Parable of the Sower is found in Matthew 13: 1-9.  

“Listen!  A sower went out to sow.  And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up.  Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil.  But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away.  Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked the.  Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundred-fold, some sixty, some thirty.  Let anyone with ears listen!

In Matthew 13:18-23, Jesus explains this parable:

“Hear then the parable of the sower.  When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path.  As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away.  As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

 As  a parent you must evaluate your own seed, where have you sown your seeds?  Is your faith a little rocky now, have your seeds not taken root?  Has life tested you to the ends and your faith been uprooted?  Perhaps your seeds have been “choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of the world” and your faith has not yet matured.  Maybe you are a parent whose faith is growing day by day, you are hearing the word, “hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance.”  Take a moment to determine where you are in your own faith journey, because you must be secure within your own faith before you can teach this lesson to your children.

A fun family experiment would be to plant some seeds in several different places in your yard, chart the growth of the seeds to see where the seeds flourish and where the seeds did not take root.  Talk about how the seed is a metaphor for the word of God and how we need to read the Bible, attend worship, and share our faith with others.  If we hear the word, read the word and do not do anything to share our faith with others, then we are like the seeds that were planted but never took root and grew.  If we hear the word, read the word and share our faith with others, then we are like the seeds that were sown on good soil.

I hope that you are taking care of your seed and watering it with solid Biblical teaching, standing firm in your faith even when life throws you a curveball.  We must trust that God will  provide for all our needs.  It  is written in Galatians 6:7-10, “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow.  If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit.  So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up.  So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.” 

Your children are very observant, they will see how you respond to life’s joys and sorrows and if your daily walk with Jesus mirrors your attitudes towards life.  I will be the first to admit that it is not easy, it takes time but with prayer your seeds will grow and flourish beyond what you could have ever imagined, and your children will be blessed through your faithfulness.