He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches (Matthew 13:31-32 NIV).
In the last few weeks, a common theme I’ve noticed in conversations and bible verses that have been popping up have been focused on planting seeds. I don’t mean planting flower seeds – that has never been a talent of mine to keep plants alive for a long period of time. What I’m referring to is planting the word of God in the hearts of others, as found in Luke 8:11 (NIV) “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God”.
As discussed in my book, and in previous blog posts, I believe we are meant to share our stories and experiences with others, to reveal the ways God has shown up in our lives. Although sharing our stories and experiences may help others, I think we hold back from doing so more often than not. Perhaps we refrain because we worry about oversharing, overstepping boundaries, or, we assume our words will be shared and then quickly forgotten.
If we choose not to share, there will be no chance to plant the seed of God’s word in the hearts of others. But, if we choose to share our experiences, there is at least even the smallest chance that seed will be planted and one day bloom at just the right time.
Here are a few examples. After I wrote my book, someone I know reached out to tell me they enjoyed reading it and asked if I knew of any bible studies in the area for them. So, writing about how I attended bible study in my book planted the seed for someone to reach out and join a bible study. Another person shared they hadn’t realized how much they needed to step back and self-reflect on how God was showing up in their life.
A final example is last summer I was driving to pick up my kids and saw a couple, who looked to be at least in their late 70’s or early 80s, outside trimming hedges in their yard together. When my kids got in the car, I told them I had just witnessed the cutest thing and shared how the two looked happy while working together in their yard. I told my kids I would add to my prayer for their potential future spouses that they would live a long, healthy life to be able to trim hedges together in their yard at an old age.
Fast forward to last week, my daughter and I were shopping and I picked up a pair of hedge clippers and said I was going to buy them. My daughter didn’t miss a beat and said “Why are you going to buy them? You don’t have anyone to trim hedges with”. In that moment, from her innocent comment, I realized our words stick, even when they are in a story we assume might quickly be forgotten (and sometimes they have a different understanding attached to them than the way we intended, and in this case, it was good for a laugh!).
My hope is to motivate you to find the courage to plant seeds in the hearts of others, or, to encourage you to find comfort in the idea that things you’ve already shared might be waiting for the right moment to sprout, or, maybe they’ve already made an impression and you just don’t know it.
If you feel compelled to share a story, thought, or prayer with someone, it might be just the seed they need in their life!
To close in prayer; Dear Heavenly Father, I pray for the person reading this. I pray they feel your guidance in knowing when and how to share stories, thoughts, and prayers with others. I pray they are also receptive to listening to the stories, thoughts, and prayers of others and are able to witness how others have also planted God’s word in their heart. In Jesus name, Amen.
Scriptures marked (NIV) taken from the Holy Bible, New International
Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used
by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.
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in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.®
