Seeding

I don't know about you, but growing up in a farming community, the guy in the parable of the sower (Matthew13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, Luke 8:1-15) always struck me as a poor example of a farmer. It's like the guy wasn't even looking what he was doing. Seeds on the walkway where birds pick them up, or the next guy to walk along crushes them or kicks them away. Seeds on rocks (I have seen stuff grow on rocks, but those things are called weeds) where there is no way to get a real root going. Then, he throws the seed in the thorn patch, where the good soil is already eaten up by the junky plants. Finally, some seed lands on good, healthy and clear soil. And the guy doesn't even plant the seeds there, he just lets them lay there. I mean, really, who just randomly throws seeds all over the place?

The answer, in regards to this parable, is we do. Everyday, we throw seeds all over the place. When we talk, when we post something online, the places we frequent, the music we listen to, the shows we watch, the things we read, what we wear, how we conduct ourselves at work or in class, the way we drive. All of these actions and so many more are throwing seeds out there. Seeds that tell people who we are, what matters to us, and what kind of character we possess. You seed the lives of people with your preferences, and sometimes those seeds take root. Have you ever read a book or watched a new TV show because of a casual conversation with a classmate or co-worker? They mention their love of something, and curiosity is peaked, so you check it out.

You were just seeded, and the person who did it probably didn't even know that's what they were doing. It's like their not even paying attention to where they cast their seed.

Now apply that to your faith in Christ. If people know you are a believer by your words- you've told them- then everything you do is a seed for what they think about Christ. The way you treat the opposite sex or the way you do your work or the way you drive (especially if you have a Jesus fish on your car) is a seed in the life of people who walk and live around you. For a long time, I thought those parables meant we just told everybody the whole gospel and did nothing but share the plan of how to get people to know Jesus. Then I realized that I am sharing who Jesus is to me not so much with my carefully worded answers to theological questions, but with the subtle ways I go about my mundane, ordinary tasks of life.

Do I complain? Do I argue? Do I look a little too long at something risque? Do I practice backstabbing my friends? Do make fun of people who aren't able or around to defend themselves? Or do I practice humility- put others first? Do I suck it up and do my work even when I don't really want to? Do I show compassion?

All these plant seeds. Some seeds we cast are weeds, some are beautiful flowers. Some land in good soil, some land on bad. The truth is, we rarely realize just how much (or how badly) we are seeding peoples' lives with Jesus.

So, what can we do to be better about seeding people with the good stuff- and seeding in the right places?

I believe it starts and ends with prayer. We need to pray in the places we live and work. I'm not talking about praying so that others see us being all holy, I'm saying we pray so we can see with the eyes of God the place we have always just seen with our regular old eyes. Praying in the space you spend time in means you are preparing the soil around you- so that the seeds you randomly cast out to those around you will land in good soil.

I remember my grandparents having a garden when I was a little kid. I remember when it came time to plant, we prepared the garden by removing weeds and rocks, then breaking up the soil and moving it around so the seeds would have the room to grow. We took bads soil, and made it better to receive the seed. I believe prayer does that for us in the spiritual sense. It's not about US making the person clean so they can receive Christ, it's about asking the Spirit to move and work in subtle ways in the person's life to help them be receptive to the seed we cast. We can't make the seed grow or take root- that is between the soil and the sun (aka the person and God). But we can ask for the soil to be prepared.

And we can cast good seed. Prayer is key not just for the soil- but for the sower. We need to be praying that we choose the right sort of seeds to cast. What are we putting out there that people may want to cling to about Christ? If the only Jesus most people see is the Jesus we live out- what would they think of Him?

So, I challenge you- and if you have others that will join you- go to the places you spend time. The library you study at, the bar you frequent, the office you work in, your apartment, even your car. Go there and pray. Pray for the people who cross your path in those places, most of them you may never even meet- but they catch the seed you and others throw. Pray that they be prepared by God to receive the seeds of faith in Christ- whether that seed comes from you or someone else. Pray also for yourself. Pray for you to be more aware of the Christ you are seeding people with. Pray that you be more aware of the spiritual needs around you as well as the physical needs.

It doesn't need to be long- God knows what you are asking. But it does need to happen. The funny thing about Seeding, is that the more you pray about preparing the 'soil' around you, the more your own 'soil' is prepared to experience God.