Growing up, I would spend time thinking about the front license plate of my Grandfather’s Buick. The message was so simple yet held so much meaning. It was something that he spent his life doing. The license plate simply stated, “Sow A Good Seed, Everybody”.
When one thinks of sowing seeds, we tend to think of agriculture. We think of farmers and their fields. We often reflect on the benefits of these crops. We dream of the taste of that watermelon or the sweetness of that corn. We rarely think about the time and effort it takes to cultivate the ground and plant the seeds before we even begin to see the beginning buds of growth. However, season after season, the farmer continues to plow, plant, and wait, trusting for the harvest in the midst of ever-changing weather patterns.
As it is in the natural, so it is in the spiritual. We often do not focus on the intangible seeds we plant in our day-to-day lives. Our actions (seeds) affect the harvest of our lives as well as the lives of others. The seeds we sow matter. As farmers, we have different crops that we desire to reap. Many times, we tell others that they will reap what they sow. Normally, this quote is wielded as a threat to address poor behavior. However, this phrase also applies to life-giving seeds.
Sowing good seeds into the lives of others brings about a good harvest for all involved. The non-tangible seeds of love, encouragement, discipline, prayer, and time hold the potential to lift someone’s spirit and more importantly, lead them to Christ. As it is with natural farming, there are outside forces that may keep the intangible seeds from growing or taking root. The seasons of life may make the soil (heart) hard. Storms may come to upset the crops. However, Ecclesiastes 11:6 AMP reads “Sow your seed in the morning and do not be idle with your hands in the evening, for you do not know whether morning or evening planting will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both alike will be good.” In other words, whether the situation is ideal or full of calamity, whether the sun is shining, or the storms are raging, or whether a person is initially receptive or not, we must continue to sow the seeds of righteousness, hope, peace, and love for we do not know when the roots will grab hold.
Many times, we may feel as though our sowing is in vain. We are tired of the wait, the disappointments, and the perceived rejection. But we read in Ephesians 11:5 AMP, “Just as you do not know the way and path of the wind or how the bones are formed in the womb of a pregnant woman, even so, you do not know the activity of God who makes all things.” In our own lives, we sometimes want to give up and walk away. But if God said it don’t you dare let go. Till the ground, plant those seeds and water them in prayer. Keep on giving, keep on working for the Kingdom, keep on loving, and keep on planting that God seed! As you plant God will send someone else to water. But He Himself will give the increase.
The late Charles F. Stanley once stated, “You will reap more than you sow and later than you sow”. It may not seem like anything is growing. We may be straining to see a bud, some form of life. Hold on! It’s coming. Don’t stop planting. God is not unmindful of our labor of love. In due season we will reap if we faint not. If God said it, He will do it.
Sow a good seed, everybody!
Currently Rhonda is a member of High Calling Ministries under the Pastoral Leadership of Pastor George W. Hawkins, Jr. There she serves as the Lead Instructor for the Ministers In Training Program (Phase I), and Intercessory Prayer Team Member. Prior to attending High Calling, Rhonda served for 17 years at Hope Church of God in Washington, DC under the leadership of Bishop Samuel L. McPherson, Sr. While at Hope Rhonda served as the Director of Youth Ministries. Rhonda was also the Youth Bible Study teacher and headed various evangelistic outreach activities.
Rhonda graduated from Peirce College with an Associate in Paralegal Studies; Liberty University with a Bachelor in Religion; and is currently pursuing her Master in Religious Education from Liberty University. She has been employed at the University of Maryland for 20 years.
Rhonda is a strong proponent of Godly entertainment. She strongly believes that what we feed the inner man, will manifest in the outer man.
