“And he said, ‘The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.'” Mark 4:26-29 (ESV)
I was drawn to this parable in my early postpartum days. I’m not sure if it was the thought of sleeping by night and rising by day or the image of seeds growing and bearing fruit regardless of my state of consciousness, but, upon hearing it read, I blurted out, “That sounds so nice!”
Well, my baby and my garden have both grown, and it’s now the time of year when gardening finally feels fun again. My son dons a colander like a hat and exclaims, “We’re harvest heads!” as we head out the door to gather fall’s bounty.
We’ve put in a summer’s worth of weeding and watering–perhaps juggled with equal amounts of prayer and neglect.
We scattered seeds, we slept, we awoke, and, somehow, the seeds sprouted and grew. As my kindergartener said of the rogue tomato plants which popped up all over the garden, “Isn’t it amazing how God brought yose seeds back to yife?!”
And, he’s right. Whose strength is so great it can bring resurrected life from seeds that lay, buried, through a long, harsh winter? The same One whose might will uphold your family through the homeschool year to come as He works all things for good (Romans 8:28).
Keep scattering seeds, dear parents. Sow the Word broadcast over your children today, and the next day, and the next. And, try to get some sleep in between. After all, it is His to bring the growth and, when the time is right, the harvest.
