Scattering Seeds

When my oldest said that he had met the woman he was going to marry, I was happy for them.  Of course, I was.  I was also very concerned.
Concerned because I wasn't sure that he could wake up before 10 am without some extreme coaxing, keep his room picked up, and remember to shower regularly.
I was concerned about these things because I had spent nearly 19 years trying to give thorough and consistent instruction about these activities, but didn't always see that he was retaining the knowledge I was imparting.  I remember one day specifically, when he was in high school and at the height of his teenage stupor, that I went to wake him up at least 6 times in the span of 30 minutes and actually checked for a pulse because he was so unresponsive.  I was very tempted to pour a bucket of water on him that day, except for the giant mess it would have created for me to clean up.
So, when this boy, who walked and talked and ate like a man, came to me and said he wanted to marry a girl, I just wasn't sure if he was ready to live with another woman who may not have such unending and unconditional grace for his "underdeveloped" habits.

My sweet boy and his beautiful wife have been married almost a year now.

She goes to work by 0530 and, dear friends, he wakes up every morning with her.  He cleans the kitchen after making breakfast.  Turns out that all of those seeds I planted over talks about the importance of routine, self-care, and being a good steward of your space, they did bear fruit. They didn't bear fruit on my timeline, that's for sure.  But, I'm so grateful that those conversations rooted deep into his heart and that God brought out a conviction to care in the most tender, thoughtful ways for the person who will matter most for the rest of his life.
Would my life have been easier without piles of laundry on the floor, blaring & ineffective alarm clocks, and sweaty boy smells?  Yup.
Am I glad that God saw fit for those seeds to spring up and take root inside their home, where they have healthy routines and habits?  Yup.

In our lives-- the big moments and the little ones,
In our relationships-- the ones that are tension-filled, and the ones that are comfortable,
In our work-- whether it's in the four walls of our home or downtown in an office building,

in all of these things, and in all areas of our lives, we are seed sowers.  It's not always a glamorous job.  And, sometimes, it doesn't feel like we are making a difference. We throw seed as we make our way through our days and wonder if any of it is taking root; if any of our effort is making an impact.

In a parable in Mark 4, Jesus describes this very situation.  In this story, Jesus is the sower and the seed is the good news, and the ground is our hearts.  Some seed falls on hard ground and never even gets a chance to take root.  Some seed takes root, but the roots are shallow and it gets swept away.  Some seed grows, but it fights up through a tangle of weeds and thorns.  Other seed falls on fertile soil, where the conditions promote life and growth and strong roots.

We are called to sow seeds.
To share love.
To show what a life lived in hope looks like.
To teach.
To lean-in, encourage, and listen.

On a walk through Sabino Canyon recently, my friend and I were talking about the impact that women have in each other's lives.  And the more we talked, the deeper we dug, the more we realized that so many women have crossed our paths & scattered seed; often never fully knowing how that seed grew.  We both told stories of women who had breathed life into our broken hearts in a particularly dark season, of women who taught us grace under pressure, laughter in the tough moments, and forgiveness of our missteps.

In many cases, I didn't even realize seed had been scattered until I was standing in the full glory of fruit that had been born out of trial, tribulation, joy, and celebration and I could see God's fingerprints all over it.  I am thankful for those women who walked through my life, and were faithfully scattering seed-- even in moments when I didn't see it, couldn't appreciate it, or wasn't ready to receive it.
I am thankful for the patience and grace that comes with God's timeline.

Author, speaker, and professional encourager, Bob Goff, puts it this way:

"It takes 21 days to make a radish.  7 years for a pear tree to bear fruit.  In 14 years, avocado trees are mature.  I have to stop walking through life putting stuff in the microwave when Jesus is trying to put it in the crockpot.  When I can't see what is happening, I remind myself that God is probably making guacamole."

We aren't in charge of where the seed falls or how it will grow.
Our job is to walk and scatter.
God does the growing.  It happens in His time.

Walk and scatter. Pray and trust.
Be faithful with the moments and the people that are in your path.
God will do the growing, and it will be beautiful in His time.