Planting Seeds of Faith in Our Children
Yes, I believe in seed stuffing. If I had anything to do over in raising our children, I would get more of the Word of God in them any way I could. Romans 10:17 New American Standard Bible says:
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
So if we want to build faith into our children’s lives, we need to let them hear the Word of Christ; we need to let them hear the Bible. There are so many ways to teach our children the Word of God-listening to Bible songs, singing Bible songs, studying the Bible with them, helping them memorize the Bible, writing out the Bible. Our young adult children still remember many of the Bible songs we sang when they were young.
And somehow I believed that if I got the Word in them, it would immediately bear fruit in their lives. What I didn’t realize then, is that seeds take time to grow, even seeds of the Word in our children’s hearts take time to grow and bear fruit in their lives. In 1 Corinthians 3:6-9 NASB the apostle Paul puts it this way (italics mine):
I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now the one who plants and the one who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers….
As mom’s we can plant the seeds, like Paul did, and we can water the seeds by teaching like Apollos did, but we have to realize that GOD CAUSES THE GROWTH of the seeds in our children’s hearts. And He does it in His own timing. Just like we wouldn’t expect a tomato plant to bring forth tomatoes the day after we planted the seed, even so we can’t expect mature fruit from our children, when we just planted the seed of the Word in them. Here’s a poem I wrote to make this point:
Be faithful – The seed of the Word to sow
Be patient – Trees take time to bear fruit and grow.
Be hopeful – This we know-His Word accomplishes His purpose and returns not void.
So mom’s, please don’t tire of planting seeds, because you don’t see any fruit. Planting seeds is hard work! But BE FAITHFUL to keep planting! Plant more seeds! I promise that in His time, those seeds will grow into trees and they will bear fruit. In my prayers for our children, I pray to the Lord of the Harvest to bring forth fruit from the seeds of the Word that we planted in them when they were younger. And BE PATIENT! He will do it in His perfect timing. Finally, BE HOPEFUL! We have His promise that His Word won’t return void, and that includes the Word that we have planted in our children’s hearts (Isaiah 55:11).
Moms, here is a reminder for you not to give up-Galations 6:9 King James Version:
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
What does it mean to be “weary”? In the Greek Weary G1573 means “to be utterly spiritless, to be wearied out, exhausted, to fail in heart.” If we are wearied out or our heart is failing from well doing, what might happen? Well, we might give up. We might faint. We might stop sewing seeds in our children, either from the exhaustion or from discouragement. Yet, this verse tells us not to become weary and not to faint. How? By keeping our hope in God. By hoping that in due season, in His timing, we will reap the fruit of what we have sewn in our children’s lives.
Moms, don’t give up! Keep your eyes on Him! Keep sewing those seeds! and
IN HIS TIMING YOU WILL SEE THE FRUIT IN YOUR CHILDREN’S LIVES OF THE SEEDS YOU HAVE SEWN.
In His Love,
Suzanne
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