SEED SOWING

A couple of weekends ago my brother-in-law plowed and tilled a spot in the place that my grandparents used to use for their garden. We didn't have him plow the entire area because we will have our hands full this summer with a new baby; it's also the first garden I've ever done so I will have a learning curve to go on.

As I looked at the freshly tilled soil I marveled at how great it looked. I put my bare feet into that warm dirt and just felt it cushion in around my toes. It was just a great feeling to be honest. I almost felt like walking in the sand when you visit the beach. Oh this soil has been well tested over the years and has produced many many servings of beans, corn, cucumbers, potatoes and tomatoes. Now it's our turn to see what we can do with this great-looking, well-prepared soil.

Well that was two weeks ago. Two weeks ago the ground was ready. Two weeks ago we could have dropped seed in there and by now we would have seen some germination taking place. Well I'm sorry but I've been a bit preoccupied and time has slipped by me. Tonight Sarah and I walked down to the garden and decided to plant some sunflowers and wildflowers in part of it. I was amazed, but not necessarily surprised, at how quickly the soil had hardened. I also found it shocking that so many weeds and clumps of old crab grass had already started the process of trying to claim back this ground that I had once claimed for my own purposes. I won't even the numerous and hurtful thistles that were now growing and spreading like wild fire in the part of the garden that wasn't tilled.

As I spent some time re-preparing the soil to take the flower seed that we were going to scatter a spiritual parallel occurred to me. How many times does God go before us and prepare the spiritual soil for His good seed only to never have anyone willing to step forward and sow on the fresh dirt. His Holy Spirit goes out to convict the lost of their sin and then the Holy Spirit uses God's people to walk in obedience with Him in sharing His love and grace with these same people. The question is though... where are the Laborers? In a time when it seems harder and harder to find church bodies that focus more on missions than prosperity and feel good garbage I have to wonder where are the laborers in the spiritual fields? Where are those that are willing to say, "Here I am, Lord send me."

We pray and ask all of the time in prayer that God would plow and till up the hardened soil of a lost person's heart to be able to receive the good soil of the gospel when we go. So what does happen when God prepares the soil that is so rich and so ready and then no one responds to the call? I would imagine it look and feel a lot like my garden....soil that is no longer loose but is getting compacted again, filling up with weeds and thistles. How quickly the world would come in against those prepared hearts, those freshly prepared souls/soils that are freshly tilled by His Holy Spirit. Something will occupy that spot...either more unbelief, more worldly ways or something new and life-changing...yes something that would feed them for eternity!

We sit around and say we don't have to go or think that God will provide some other way for the lost to hear the message and yet I say to you that what if YOU are the "way" for others to hear the message. Clearly the seed can't plant itself. God's asking for laborers to be in the field planting. His Holy Spirit has prepared the way and we're still sitting on our duffs at home...maybe we are going to classes on what type of seed to look for or how to best spread the seed...Sometimes we have to stop talking about and training ourselves to death and go out there and do it...He's waiting on you and me! The lost are waiting on you and me! Step up, grab the Word of God, trust the Holy Spirit and get into those ripe fields!