Seeds in different ground

Mark 4:1-20 (NIV)

The Parable of the Sower

4 Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge.2 He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: 3 “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”9 Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”10 When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outsideeverything is said in parables 12 so that,“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,    and ever hearing but never understanding;otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’[a]”13 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14 The farmer sows the word. 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

I know, I know. It's a massive chunk of text. But in all honesty it's such a great parable.

Jesus is so creative to be able to use a story like that to help people in those days AND people of today... To visualize something with a scene in order to explain something that has always been true and will always be true.

I never truly understood this parable, nor related much to it before. But it wasn't until I was the one sowing seeds (sowing as in putting out the seeds so they would grow)... I could relate to it because I was doing just that.
Even still, when I first started sowing seeds (by serving and planting seeds in lives by sharing the gospel)... I just assumed that God knows where all the seeds were falling, in good soil or in bad places with bad growing conditions. I just figured God knows. And it's ok.

But in actual fact, we should care about the seeds.

I want to be truthful here. After many years of sowing now... When I started I wasn't sure about the end results. I didn't know if these plants would grow. I wasnt sure if fruit would florish.
But now as the years have passed, I've learnt a lot about the different types of seeds grown in different conditions. And truth is, it's a sad sad outcome that some seeds will never grow, some will be eaten away by crows, some will be choked by thorns... It's sad but true.
I've seen that happen to some people through the years.

But while seeing the bad, I've also seen the good seeds grow into something amazing!
And well it's encouraging to see!

Yet one thing remains: although it's sad to see that some of the seeds don't end up in good growing conditions-- we shouldnt be discouraged. We should continue sowing seeds. Because the fruit is by far something worth celebrating over.
And at the end of the day, God might just save the bad seeds eventually...
But all in all--it's important to not forget this parable. It demonstrates that God determines where the seed falls. And we should continue to sow for Him.

I challenge you to read it again, slowly and to reflect upon it.