Where You Plant Your Seeds Matters

At this point in the year, I am yearning to plant something, anything. We have been living in a world of ice and snow, wind and frost for months. My fingers ache to dig into warm soil. My nose longs to smell the dark, rich earth. My garden is planned; my seeds have been ordered and organized. I’m ready.

As a farmer, it matters when I plant my seeds. It also matters where I plant them. The garden space is prepared for the arrival of the seeds. Last year’s detritus has been removed. The soil has been cultivated. Compost has been worked in. We wait until the soil is warm. Seeds need warm soil in which to germinate. They also need moisture. If the soil is dry, we water the rows to provide the optimal amount of moisture. We sow the seeds at the recommended seeding rate. Too deep, and the spouts will exhaust themselves before they reach the surface sunlight. Too shallow, and the seeds will dry out before they can take root.

If you think this seed planting business is complicated, you’re right. An awful lot can go wrong between seed and seedling.

In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus used the planting of seeds to illustrate how we respond to his call. My garden plot lies ten feet away from my gravel driveway. Seeds planted there may possibly sprout, but will soon wither because there is no moisture-holding soil, only rocks. “The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word” (Matt. 13:20-21 NLT). How often do we hear something that motivates us to do, speak, pray, act? We are on fire—until we have to actually do it. Then we fizzle like a wet campfire. We lose our enthusiasm, we let fear and doubt creep in, and we tell ourselves that maybe God wasn’t serious about that, so we can just let it go.

Most likely, those seeds on my driveway will be eaten by birds or crushed under the tires of my kids’ bicycles. “The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts” (Matt. 13:19 NLT). We let ourselves be defeated by our own thoughts or shortcomings, rather than trusting God to provide for us wherever he has called us. Satan’s greatest tool is the mind. We can sabotage God’s call just as quickly as the barn swallows swoop down and snatches the seed from my driveway.

On the south side of my garden is the ditch where grass and weeds and shrubs grow with wild abandon. Any seeds planted there may root and grow, but they are soon choked out by other plants competing for sunlight and moisture. As perennials, the weeds have a more extensive root system, which allows them to find water at deeper levels in the soil, and they are taller, which enables them to access available sunlight. My little seedlings don’t stand a chance against those well-established giants. “The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced” (Matt. 13:22 NLT). When we crowd our minds with worries and plans, when we crowd our schedules with meetings and activities, God has no room to work. When I find myself using words like “Yeah, but I have to…” or “When I’m done with…” I know it’s time to clear some space. When we don’t clear space in our brains and lives for God to speak to us, we miss his call. We are not available to do kingdom work because we are so busy.

So where do I plant my seeds if not in my driveway or ditch? In the rich, black soil of my garden. The garden has been cleared of competing plants, fertilized with nourishing minerals, and prepared to receive the seeds. This doesn’t happen by accident; it takes time and intention. And even after the seeds have sprouted, I must regularly remove weeds, provide support to vining plants, use my sprinkler to provide moisture, and then harvest the fruits and vegetables at the peak of ripeness. “The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” (Matt. 13:23 NLT). In my garden, I plant the equivalent of one tomato’s worth of seed. But after the careful tending of the tomato plants for approximately eighty days, I will harvest gallons upon gallons of gorgeous, delicious, perfectly ripe tomatoes. Likewise, clearing the way for God, being intentional in our lives to be open to his call, will produce a harvest the likes of which you and I can only imagine. It is a harvest that God has planned all along.

May your soil be fertile and your weeds few. Hand me a spade, and let’s start planting.

Annie Carlson is rooted like a turnip to the plains of North Dakota where she raises great food, large numbers of farm animals, and three free-range kids with her husband. You can find her with either a book or knitting needles in her hands as she dreams up her next adventure.

Photograph © Nikola Jovanovic, used with permission