1 Corinthians 3:7-8

"The ones who do the planting or watering aren't important, but God is important because he is the one who makes the seed grow. The one who plants and the one who waters work as a team with the same purpose. Yet they will be rewarded individually, according to their own hard work."

The gardening season allows for so many teachable moments for my children. At preschool this April, my oldest son planted three seeds in a cup, and a few weeks later he got to take the seedlings home. We planted them in a large pot, and all summer we've enjoyed dozens of bright pink zinnia flowers from those three little seeds. He was so excited to watch them grow and put out the first flowers. During the process, I asked him things like, "Who makes plants grow?" and "Who sends the sunshine and rain for these flowers?" But since the seeds were planted in a container, we can't depend solely on the rain to water them enough, because the soil in the container dries out faster than the soil in the garden. So while I helped my son water the seeds with a watering can, I taught him that we also have a part in helping them grow, just like God asks believers to help him by telling others about Jesus.

I've been blessed to already reap some rewards for the seeds of faith that I've planted in my sons' hearts. My oldest son is five years old, and he spontaneously professed his faith at three-and-a-half. I know by the way he worded his profession, he was influenced by his time in the preschool program at Bible Study Fellowship, to which I had faithfully taken him since he was two. My other son is three, and this summer he experienced his first Vacation Bible School, for which the theme was "Fear Not, God is with us!" During a severe thunderstorm one night this week, he raised his fist in the air and said in his adorable three-year-old voice, "Fear Not!", just like the group did at VBS. Then he said, "Jesus will keep us safe in the storm, Mom." That just made my heart feel good! As the verse says, as honored as I have been to plant those seeds and harvest those rewards, God is the one who has done the important work...placing my children in a Christian family and preparing their hearts for his truth and love.

As I read the verse again, I connect planting the seed to spreading the gospel, and watering to discipling, which is helping an established believer grow properly. My smallest children are still only three and one, so I have many more opportunities to plant seeds of faith in their hearts. But since my oldest son has already professed his faith and has shown much other evidence of his personal belief, my job will soon shift from planting to watering. What a blessing and privilege this is for me as their mother, a priceless investment I am humbled to make in their lives, which will pay dividends even into eternity!

I remember when my oldest son was no more than two, I read in an article by Dr. James Dobson that the greatest window of opportunity for people to come to know God is up until about five or six years of age. If people haven't accepted God before that time, their likelihood of converting to the Christian faith after that is only about 10%. As I read those words, I pondered the tremendous responsibility parents have, not just to feed, clothe, and nurture their children, but to teach them about the one true God. Certainly my taking advantage of this short window of opportunity is of utmost importance, but I am responsible to keep planting and watering during the entire season of parenting. It's humbling to consider, but also very gratifying to know I'm doing God's work right here at home.

What are you doing, whether you are a parent or not, to plant seeds of faith or water them? Who did the planting or watering in your faithwalk?

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