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A Seed Planted
Remember in first grade when you planted the bean seed in the foam cup to see what happened? I do. It was so cool to watch little green shoots come up out of the dirt and slowly get taller. Finally the leaves would grow, and you knew you were watching something amazing. As leaders, especially church leaders, we can see a lot of analogies between what we do each week and farming. Jesus made the comparison all the time. He talked about seeds and harvest and fruit constantly because the metaphor works on so many levels, even today.
Leading children takes patience and faith. Go back to the foam cup. No doubt there were kids who just couldn’t wait to see that seed grow, and after a few days of watering with no results, they stuck their fingers down in the dirt and dug up that see. Maybe the seed was still dormant, or maybe that green stalk was just about to pop out. No matter what the status of the seed was, once kids dug it up, the seed was most likely damaged and the growth process hindered.
As leaders we need to be patient with our kids by providing a variety of opportunities for them to learn and participate in our classrooms. Then we need to have faith that God will grow them into committed Christ followers. Trust God to nurture the growth process.
Plant seeds with patience. We plant seeds in kids’ lives every Sunday, and – especially in Children’s Ministry – results take time. Like a good farmer, use tools that will encourage your students’ growth. Allow those tender shoots of growth to find their way out organically, trusting in God to “give the increase.”