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| Some soil is ripe for reaping. |
If yesterday's
Bible passage about the farmer sowing his seed touched your family with
confusion, don't worry. It confused even
Jesus' closest disciples. This is His
explanation:
Mark 4:14-20--"The farmer
sows the word. Some people are like seed
along the path, where the word is sown.
As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was
sown in them. Others, like seed sown on
rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a
short time. When trouble or persecution
comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns,
hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and
the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it
unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on
good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty, or even
a hundred times what was sown."
Although
Jesus was talking about a spiritual spreading of God's Word, the basic idea can
be applied to other knowledge as well. Truth
(or knowledge) was being spread freely and openly to everyone. However, not everyone was ready or able to
accept that truth (or knowledge) and do something with it.
In
contrast, in our society, education has become a type of "god." As a whole, we work to get information
"out there," so everyone can have successful, productive, and wise
lives. Politicians bank on this type of
promise to get them elected—and it usually succeeds in getting them into
office, but not necessarily on having a "smarter" public. Then as a society, we are confused when we do
not get the results we want, and we are disappointed in our "god" of
education.
Preparation
needs to make place. If the ground has
not first been "prepared," it will not be the proper soil setting for
the information to take root and be productive.
The passage in Mark is not describing how to get the soil ready for the
seed, but it does describe what happens to seed (information) that lands in
areas not prepared for growing seeds.
Your Turn: In essence, giving your children lots of
information is not the key to raising God-fearing children. First, it matters what they are being
taught. Second, it matters if their minds
and hearts have been prepared to hear and accept the Truth. So, what can you do?
Pray for
your child on a daily basis. Only the
Holy Spirit can truly prepare your child's heart to accept God's Word and to be
able to a produce spiritual "crop."
However, God can still use you in the process. Share your love of God and His Word with your
children. Let your life hold evidence
of this love—personal Bible study, the types of conversations you have, reading
the Bible to and praying with your children, and your general living according
God's plan. Yet, the most important element is your personal
relationship with your children. You may
never come close to being a Bible scholar—or an intellectual. You may have as much trouble navigating
through the Old Testament as you do the local mall. And despite all that, you can produce a spiritual crop with your children because the
close relationship they have with you will reveal, model, and encourage an
attitude and life that is truly God honoring.
In turn, they will be able to repeat the same process with their
children. Isn't that what it's
about? Not just touching your current
family with a Biblical perspective but also touching your family in future
generations.
If you would like
more ideas on helping your children (and yourself) develop a Biblical worldview
or to find out how to win a Wal-Mart gift card, go to the 31
Days Giveaway (Intro. Part II) post for more Touching Families blog
links. If you want to check out other 31 Days' topics, see The Nester.
*All verses quoted are from the New International Version: THE
HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011
by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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