Garden Epiphany

I dig weeds out of the earth and admire the dark, rich loosened soil and only then, with dirt under fingers and sweat on my neck, do I consider the soil.

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Gen 2:7


Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. Eccl 12:7

If we were created from dust and return to dust in the end, what then are our lives but soil to be tended? And if we must tend our lives, are we not then sowers as well?

And if we are sowers, then we have a message to hear:

Behold, a sower went forth to sow; 4And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: 5Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: 6And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: 8But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. 9Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. Matthew 13: 3-9

Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. 19

When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

20But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; 21Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

22He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

23But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Matt 13:18-23

There are plenty of weeds to pull and children are good at disappearing at weeding time, so I have plenty of time to think. There is much to consider.

If I am the sower and the seeds are those whose lives I touch, then my LIFE is the soil. My life is just a patch of ground. As parents, much of that patch of ground is dedicated to a certain and select crop of seeds...our children.


If our lives consist of unimportant things, our children will fall by the wayside. Stuff to buy, places to go, people to see, the latest video games to play, the latest fashions to wear, vacations to enjoy, The latest diet trend. Cool toys, kid and grown up ones. possessions. possessions. possessions.

There must be time to be together. Time to sit together. Time to talk together. Time to 'do' together. Time to work together. Time to just be, together. One of the greatest things about being put in a family is having people to share your life with. But to do that, there must be time.

We mustn't beat down the soil running around following trends, but rather, tread carefully~ using our time wisely and watching very carefully where we walk. Us. Me.

Little eyes are watching what I spend my time doing, what things I desire and what makes me happy. Apples don't fall far from the tree.


We must pluck the rocks out of our lives and the thorns, so that our lives become fertile for growth. We must tend our lives so that our children can be nourished and strengthened. We must be in the Word, devoted to it~ learning from it~ enjoying it.


Each time we read from scripture, each time we sing Psalms, each time we bow our heads to pray we are hurling rocks, thorns and thistles from our soil and our lives, making beautiful, fertile ground. Our childrens' roots will run deep and their joy will be made full.

There is not too little time to spend moments each day in devotion. There is never too much to do. If we enjoy doing it, we FIND the time. If we WANT something, we make it work.

If we want our children to enjoy the things of God and to grow strong in Him, we need to provide the right soil~ the right teaching environment. That will mean dying to self, over and over and over again. But with every sacrifice there will be great reward.

Sometimes the worst circumstances are the greatest teaching tools. Not enough money? Draw closer to Him. Not enough peace? Draw closer to Him. Not enough time? Draw closer to Him. Stressed beyond belief? Draw closer to Him. Angry? Draw closer to Him.

In doing so, the children who notice everything and learn without prompting, will see firsthand what to do when they feel the same.

My life is the soil my children need to thrive. I must be a constant gardener. Sometimes it is so hard. I fail miserably...daily. The weeds pop up....daily. But the harvest is coming.

And now I see.

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.