Little Parenting Habits for Big Faith in Your KidsSample

What’s my soil quality?

You can be ready and willing to plant seeds of faith in your kids, but there are a lot of issues you might run into that stop it from happening. The three soils in today’s parable help us understand the obstacles ahead.

ROCKY SOIL

The seeds that fall on rocky soil sprout quickly but don’t put down roots, so when the sun comes up, these plants wither. Rocky soil is a problem because while plants can sprout and start growing, their roots can’t properly tether the plant to the ground or soak up water and nutrients.

You might not immediately notice rocky soil in your family. If you started enthusiastically discipling your kids and were excited about doing all the things with them but lost heart when the emotions wore off and family faith development became tough, you’ve got rocky soil. In a home with rocky soil, teaching the gospel gets abandoned because it seems too hard. We don’t know how to answer their questions, they won’t sit still, or they’re constantly turning the conversation to bathroom topics—so it’s easier to wither and opt out.

WEEDY SOIL

Some of the seeds fall among weeds, which means that as the grain sprouts, the plants get overwhelmed and choked out. Weeds steal nutrients, water, and sunlight from the plants you want to grow.

Weeds can grow at any point in your family life. You may start off discipling your kids with confidence, but then life gets busy and distracting and those weeds crowd out spiritual disciplines. Sports, homework, friends, and music practice take all your family time, and you don’t know how to redeem the moments you do have. Teaching the gospel gets abandoned because the weeds of life have stolen your time, energy, and motivation.

GOOD SOIL

Some of the seeds fall on good soil and produce a harvest beyond the farmer’s wildest dreams. This is the kind of family faith soil we want: for the seeds of the gospel to be cast first into our own soft hearts and then to grow abundantly in our family. We don’t need to do it all or know it all to have an incredible harvest. We’re just the farmer, casting the seed in good soil. The Holy Spirit is the one who makes those seeds of faith grow.

I find this truth both freeing and convicting. We can be confident that God loves our children even more than we do and is doing the hardest work of heart change: only He truly makes things grow. But we are called to be God’s coworkers in planting seeds.

Let’s face it: We all have some rocky or weedy soil in our lives. We all have times when it’s not fun or easy to plant seeds of faith in our kids . . . so we just don’t do it. We all have times when the busyness and distractions of life threaten to choke out time spent with God. This is part of being human. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have any good soil (or at least the potential for good soil). When we’re faithful to plant seeds of faith in our hearts and families, not even rocks and weeds and times of drought can prevent a harvest.

PRAYER:

God, You are the one who makes things grow, including faith in the heart of my child. Help me to trust You more. Please protect the seeds of faith I sow in my child’s heart from the schemes of the evil one. Help me not to fizzle out when things get hard, and not get distracted by the many worries of life. I pray that, by Your good grace, the seeds of faith sown in my child will grow in a huge harvest of faith in their life! In Jesus’ name, Amen.