The Sower

Unfortunately my best theological revelations come during a sermon and I don't get them from the same text that is being preached. I say unfortunately because, I really do want to listen to the preaching, but I also like to think that God has what we need ready for us, even if it isn't from the preacher. He knows what I'm going to get, that's why he has it ready there to jump out at me.

Wednesday night was one of those times. My pastor was preaching in Mark 3. He got to the last few verses of the chapter. I went on reading in chapter 4... Here it comes!!!

Mark 4:3-9 talks about the sower going out to sow. You all know the passage/parable I am speaking of. Every sermon I have heard on this passage talk about how one Christian may hand someone a gospel tract, and another may help that person through a hard time, encouraging him/her, and another Christian may be the one to actually lead the lost person to Christ. It is an encouragement for Christians to keep witnessing even though you may not see the fruits.

As great of an application as this is, that is not what jumped out at me this time. This application really hit me a good one when during the sermon a lady in our church answered a question for the preacher. Q: "What is one thing that would discourage us from keeping the faith?" A:"Seeing your children turn from the God you taught them to serve." Wow! Of all of the persecutions and trials we could endure, the first thing that came to her mind was her children. Whenever someone talks about little children and babies, I most generally give thought to my precious nephew in heaven. And the passage I wandered into started coming together in my mind.

The sower has sown many seeds knowing fully that some may not come up, that some may be carried away with the wind, some may fall on rocky ground and some may be scorched by the sun. But still does it because he knows that some will still come forth and bear fruit. Does he stop sowing year after year for the ones that don't bear fruit? No. Does he nurture his crop any less knowing this outcome? No. He still goes on knowing that the crop may never reach it's full potential.

When we have children, well, I shouldn't say "we" because I have no children but in the theoretical sense I'll use "we". When we have children, they are our seed. We sow them into the finest field we can, we nurture, care for and raise those seedlings the best we know how. Does that mean that they will always turn out the way we want? No.

With so many variables in farming, to which I've come to know a lot more about over the last 5 years, there is no guarantee of a crop. That is why we get insurance early in the growing season. That way if something happens to the crop, we won't hurt so bad. I think you know where I'm going with this! Our "crop insurance" is the Lord. We cannot forsee what will happen in the growing season, but either way it turns, we will be glad we have it. We may say, "It was a glorious year for farming and all of our crops produced far more than we could have imagined." but are we ever sorry for getting insurance? No. because we know that it could've been much worse. When it is bad, and our crops bear little or no fruit, the Lord helps us along. It's not as sweet as a productive crop, but we make it.

My husband is out on the combine today harvesting milo. It was a great crop, it's taking him so long to cut it because it's such a thick stand! It's awful fun to cut when it's like that! But there was still peace in knowing that when our wheat didn't make anything, we had insurance to cover and milo we could put down in that same field to help fill the void. So when our children don't turn out the way we planned whether by rebellion, hard times or even death we know that our "insurance" will get us through until it is time to sow the next crop.