I will never cease to wonder at the miracle of growth. Every time I gently bury those tiny seeds in the dark, I shake my head in amazement. How is it that these seeds grow? How is it that the process of digging, hiding and dying brings forth growth, fruit and life?

As I carefully conceal these seeds in the earth, my thoughts wander to our children. How many endless hours have I spent sowing seeds of life in their souls? Reading God’s word aloud and attempting to explain the great and complex principles found there. Reading story after story filled with goodness, virtues, and truth? How many times have I corrected a prideful and selfish child only to have them turn away in anger. How many times have I thrown up my hands in frustration because no matter how eloquently I try to explain something, they just don’t seem to get it.

And then I am gently reminded that no matter how diligent I may be in sowing these seeds, I am not the one who will make them grow. As I sow this garden in the spring, there are so many things that I do to prepare the soil and help these seeds have everything they need to germinate and grow, but the actual process is completely out of my hands. There comes a point after all my toiling that I just have to sit back, wait and trust.

“We are not called to be successful, but faithful.”

Mother Teresa

As parents and teachers we spend all day faithfully sowing truth, goodness and beauty into the souls of those entrusted to us; but we must remember also that we are not the ones who will cause those seeds to grow. There is a hidden miracle in the soul of a child, that only God can bring to life. Once we have faithfully done our part of cultivating and sowing, there comes a time when we can only sit back and wait, praying and trusting that God will bring forth growth and life.

“So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.”

1 Corinthians 3:7

This is where my garden is today as I write this. I sowed my seeds, and now I am waiting. Every day I hopefully scan the blank dirt, watering and praying that the seeds will actually work. Sometimes this waiting feels like an eternity, but I must remember all that is happening under the blanket of invisibility. The quickening to life, the growth of roots going deep, the death of the seed giving way to a different sort of life, and finally the emergence of the plant. Much of this plant’s vital growth is invisible to me, the sower.

As our children receive the seeds of life in the garden of their soul, the same thing occurs, and I trust that these seeds will grow, even if I don’t see evidence for a painfully long time. I faithfully plant and do my part, and trust the Giver of Life to do the rest.

“We must drop the self-inflated view that we are the be-all and end-all of whether the education we offer our children is going to work out…
Rather, He asks us to live excellently—that is, to live in simple, obedient faith and trust. He asks us to faithfully commit every day to Him and then to do that day’s tasks well.
He’s in charge of the results.”

Sarah Mackenzie – “Teaching from Rest”