Seeds to Cedars

Motherhood is no profession for those who want results NOW. It’s not the place for those without long-term vision and the tenacity with which to carry out that vision. It’s not for the weak-kneed or faint. If ever we need mothers willing to plant the seeds for the next generation it is now.

Planting is hard work; if you had a garden this year, think back over your labors. The heat, the bugs, the weeds, the back-breaking work…it’s a job that one must tend consistently and without fruit for a while.

But oh the harvest!

A story was told of an old, beautiful church. After hundreds of years, the beams began to rot. As the elders discussed the remedy, the oldest member motioned them to come to the back. He pointed across the field behind the church where grew some of the largest, most impressive oak trees the eyes have ever seen.

“When the founders of this church built it, they knew that in time, long after they were gone, the beams would need to be replaced, and could not be replaced with just anything. So they planted those trees there for that purpose.”

Now that’s vision!

We’ve got to plant the seeds of cedars (or oaks!) that we will never even see! Not only are we called to pass on a spiritual legacy to our children, but the Bible speaks of our children’s children. We must raise our children in such a way that their faith grows roots far into the next generation.

It takes deliberate life-work to do that! No, it isn’t done apart from God’s grace and divine order. But it also isn’t done by a flippant attitude that takes advantage of that grace. We must speak of Him, live for Him, be willing to die for Him and pass that fervent love on to our children.

We want results now…we want fruit now…we want instant trees. But God has never worked like that. Sometimes His purposes through someone or some group of people can’t even be realized until long after they’re gone. That’s why faith in the unseen is SO important to Christians!

Will members of the next generation be able to see the diligence of the “planters” in this one?

We cannot be weary in well-doing! There’s a forest depending on our faithfulness. The seeds we plant should bear fruit for generation after generation.

Only He can see the big picture; we need only trust His sovereignty and keep planting, hoeing and cultivating our trees!