Planting Seeds

 This is my Father's world,
And to my listening ears
All nature sings, and round me rings
The music of the spheres.
This is my Father's world:
I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas--
His hand the wonders wrought.

This is my Father's world:
O let me ne'er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the Ruler yet.
This is my Father's world:
Why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King: let the heavens ring!
God reigns; let earth be glad!

When my children were young, we used a kindergarten homeschool curriculum called My Father’s World. We would sing this song every week. Today, when I hear this song, it brings back such sweet memories. I think of treasure hunts outside to find leaves for crayon rubbings and trips to the library for books on P is for penguin. I think Kindergarten was my favorite. There was no pressure to learn to read or master math, we were just exploring.

While they were growing up, I was very intentional about integrating faith into their lives. We attended church on Sundays and participated in mid-week programs. Our homeschool curriculum always had a Bible component and we prioritized personal Bible study. When they came of age, my husband spent a year doing a Bible study with them, taking them out to breakfast each week. As I look back, though, I wish I had been more intentional about integrating faith into our conversations more. Apart from the perfunctory, “What did you learn in Sunday School today?” I can’t remember us having regular faith conversations. I think I was afraid of them. Afraid I wouldn’t know what to say. Afraid I would say the wrong thing. How could I let fear steal so much from us?

               Now I no longer have the excuse of homeschooling to integrate faith into our relationships. They are grown and out living their lives. So, in this new season, how can I cultivate and nurture the tender soil of my children’s hearts to help them grow in their love and understanding of God’s design and purpose for their lives? I think the first step is prayer. One must first prepare the soil for planting, and I believe prayer is the appropriate preparation for the soil of their hearts. I prayerfully sprinkle our conversations with seeds. I ask how I can pray for them. I follow up on prayer requests to see how things are going. I can tell them about how God is working in my life.

Here's the Thing: I need to recognize that growth is God’s responsibility, not mine. I’m not transplanting full-grown bushes into their hearts, I need to plant seeds and water them.