Plant the seed

Matthew 13:3-9, And he spoke many things unto them in parables saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; and when he sowed, some seeds fell by the wayside, and the fowls came and devoured them up: some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: and when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: but other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. 

This parable was shared here in Matthew, in Mark and in Luke. Many sermons have been brought over these passages over the centuries. I don't want to regurgitate words that someone else has shared. I want to share from experience. 

Being from Alabama, I grew up around gardens and flower beds. Someone was always planting something somewhere. But not everything that got planted grew. Whether the seed was planted in bad soil (nutrient deprived), over watered, not fertilized or scorched from the heat of the sun, the plant was never produced. However, when every condition was met, the plant flourished and produced a harvest, whether for food or for beauty.

It was my experience in the spiritual side of this which has led to this writing. I grew up in church. It was denominal, but this church began the preparation of the soil in my life to receive the seeds of Truth. It was putting some fertilizer into the soil that was rock hard and never been cultivated. 

Many years later, I had the opportunity to have the first seed of Truth to be planted. I was a quartet lackey, following this group from singing to singing. I went to a local church, which was not of my denomination, and experienced the first display of a Holy Ghost filled believer I had ever seen. I was in my teenage formative years so I was hungry for more than I was experiencing. After that night, I went back to my denominational church with what I had seen and heard buried in the back of my mind. But I didn't know what to do with it.

Many more years passed; switching churches, even changing to a different denomination altogether searching for what I experienced that night. I thought I had found it in the non-denominational format yet I still felt empty inside. I just could not find the fruition, the seeds would not come to harvest. What I thought I had found was the seed sprouting quickly but quickly being taken away because of the heat of the trials of life. There was no depth, nothing to hold onto when the hard times came, so I was easily swayed away.

Still more years passed by and I find myself at a crossroads. I want that which I had experienced over 30 years ago but at the same time, I want to shrivel up and die. How do I do this? What do I need? What can I do?

Two years ago, everything that was needed finally came together. The soil of my heart had been prepared fully. It had been tilled and fertilized by prayers of the saints. The seed from my teen years, as well as some others in my life the past few years were planted. When those came together, the seed began to grow. The last two years have seen the roots growing deeper and the plant growing taller. 

This was my story. I may still just be a seedling with my plant just above the surface, but it's growing.  What seed has been planted for your life that has lain dormant for all these years that's just waiting to be planted in the fertile soil?  What seed are you trying to plant in someone else's life? You think you're getting no where when in fact you're planting a seed. Things don't grow overnight. If they do, be wary of the roots. True growth takes time and effort to cultivate a harvest.  I was 30 years in the ground before Truth took root and grew.