Faith 2

Faith 2

Jesus also said, “Here is another illustration of what the Kingdom of God is like: A farmer planted seeds in a field, and then he went on with his other activities. As the days went by, the seeds sprouted and grew without the farmer’s help.”

Mark 4:26-27

For any mom who likes to garden, here’s an object lesson to try with your young kids. During the fall, take your children to a gardening store and purchase tulip or daffodil bulbs. The pictures on the packages will show what colors the flowers will be.

After you plan which bulbs will go where in your yard, plant them with your children. The kids will be amazed to learn that in five or six months the bulbs will begin to shoot up from the ground, grow, and finally bloom. The activity of planting bulbs will probably raise some questions: Why do we have to wait so long for the flowers to come up? How do we know they will really be red?

The questions children have about planting bulbs are similar to some of the questions we have about our Christian faith. In both situations we learn that we need to follow the instructions and wait for God to work. When we plant bulbs, we trust the instructions on the package, wait for growth, and then enjoy the beauty. The same is true of our faith. We trust the instructions God has given us in the Bible, we choose to obey his guidelines and direction for our lives, and then we wait for the beauty! We also learn that growth doesn’t happen immediately—it takes time.

God,

Thank you for your Word, which instructs us how to plant seeds of faith and godliness. Please give us patience as we trust you for growth. Amen.