I am a farmer

"A farmer went out to sow his seed..." - Luke 8:5

The focus of this parable is usually placed on the seed. Yet, as I worked in my garden yesterday, my mind was drawn to the farmer. With this being the first time I've attempted to grow produce using seeds, I carefully read the package and tried to plan out how to follow the instructions with the limited tools I had. But when I thought of the farmer, I realized he wasn't concerned with keeping the seed 6" apart with 1/4" of soil covering it. When he planted, he took all the seeds he had and covered as much ground as possible, whether it was fertile, rocky, thorny, or didn't even make it to soil. Many people today would say that he was being wasteful, since only a quarter of his seeds landed anywhere that could be useful. But when I finished sowing my seed (and, admittedly, I just kind of dug a trench and scattered the seeds in it), I realized I had barely used any of the seeds in my packet in my small garden. Are my unused potential plants any better off than the farmer's seeds who did not reach their potential?

When remembering that the seed in the parable represents the Word of God, the contrast is even greater. The farmer in the parable took what he had and shared it with every place he could find, regardless of the likelihood it would grow into something fruitful. How often do we instead carefully plan who we're going to share the Word with and how? We claim we want to concentrate our efforts in places where we will be most effective but often we're idly waiting for the next great opportunity to come along. And what if our carefully planned efforts fail? In my garden, once I realize my seeds aren't producing plants, it may be too late to sow another round and try again. Are we letting chances pass us by because we don't recognize the potential? We never know who will be receptive to the gospel. The only way to ensure we reach everyone we should is by sharing the gospel with everyone we meet.