Mothers Plant the Seeds Of Love

I found this while going through folders on my computer.  It was something I wrote and shared at a Mothers luncheon over 10 years ago! 

As I/we are surrounded by so many growing plants and it was just Mother's Day, I thought i would dust it off and share it with you!🌱🌻

Photo by Rachel Ramsdell

 We plant seeds in our children with our words and actions. And tend them with love and comfort.

The seeds need to be tended and grow roots that are strong.
 Jesus said that the seed is the word of God

📖 “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God." Luke 8:11

How are we, as mom’s, or grandma's or anyone who has influence over young ones....to plant the word of God in our children?  Not planting a kiss … or even those days when you just want to PLANT them, but I am talking about what we are instilling in their little hearts!
Now, I say "little"…anyone who has young ones……teach now…while you still know everything...to quote Beth Moore (and just about every teenager from times past through eternity) "before you become stupid!"  

If you are at the stage where your children insist you don’t know anything or understand anything….or even if you are at the stage you say you don’t know anything or understand anything!
Take heart!...................if you remain constant...consistent….rooted…..they see those seeds are planted and some day you may know something again. 

Before we can plant seeds (the word of God) in our children we MUST be rooted and strong ourselves.
Barbara Johnson said “anybody can plant sweet  P‘s in a straight row, for instance: Prayer, Patience, Peace,. Passion But it’s not enough for a gardener to love flowers.  A gardener also must hate weeds.  As good plants grow you pinch off bitter ones  like Panic, Paranoia, and Passivity.  And by the way while gardening, do squash PRIDE.”   

We need to be prepared to do our “gardening”, to plant our seeds
First and foremost; are we rooted in Christ?  Are we connected to Christ?  Have we accepted Him for who He is?   That without Him we can do nothing, especially plant seeds.   In John chapter15: Jesus said 
📖 “I am the vine and you are the branches if a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart for me you can do nothing.” 
That doesn’t mean that we just acknowledge him, but that we plant ourselves in Him….graft ourselves to Him…..we are a part of Him…..He said HE is the vine and we the branches……we don’t make him a part of us....we become a part of Him…..which implies that the larger more dominate part is Christ!  Not ourselves.  The fruit or flower that we see is not ourselves.   The aroma that is smelled is Christ
📖 For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing  2 Corinthians 2:25
We need to spend time learning what it means to be connected to the vine, understanding and cultivating that bond that we have by reading the word.   We need to communicate with God and the way we have been given to do that is prayer. 
If we tend ourselves we can mature in Christ, grow….produce the fruits of the Spirit;
Love joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. 
 
We love the prints on the windows, the flowers in the pocket (after the washer and dryer), and the milk left on the counter
We are joyful at 3 am when the nightmare has woken the whole house
We feel peace when the tooth is almost through and when the pots and pan band is marching to their own tune
We are patient while they tell their stories, ask “why did God make bugs?” and they try to “do it by myself”!
We are kind when they storm out of the room screaming “I HATE YOU”
We are good when they push our buttons and we just smile and walk into the other room
We are faithful when the illness is serious, when they question God
We are gentle when that boy breaks their heart, or the others have called them names
We are self controlled when there is a dent in the bumper and a scrape that runs from hood to trunk and they “Have no idea…..I didn’t go near any other cars!”
We Pray without ceasing for our children, their decisions, their actions, their safety and their future spouses
We are passionate about raising them in the wisdom and Knowledge of Jesus Christ
 
As we grow we are then able to plant in others….today specifically we talk about our children….but as mom’s we know that that extends to so many more….Billy next door,  Sally who comes to play, Mrs. Jones the teacher,
Mr. Smith the coach, and all the other parents we come in contact with.
 When we are planted and strong in the Lord  we trust and have confidence in  Him…we will weather the storms….and we know that as a mom there will be storms!!
But when we tend to the "garden" we call our children, we desire that their roots are strong…that they too can weather the storms.
That they are grafted in the VINE.
 
Here is a prayer that I wrote a couple years ago…based on Jeremiah 17:7-8 actually it is a part of my bio for this blog! It is in a frame by my front door.

Strong Roots 

I pray my children have strong roots, strong roots that only grow in rich soil. Lord I pray that this home provide the climate in which my children can bury themselves in the rich soil of Your love and mercy. May the Word be alive in this home to provide nourishment. May all be watered with gentleness of tongue, kindness of deed, sweetness of spirit and above all, love for one another. May the fruits of the spirit blossom here, so that all who enter feel refreshed and all who leave feel loved. And Lord I pray that when my children leave this home they will not fear; they will not worry, They will trust the One in Whom their roots are planted.

©Tracey Thompson

📖  So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Colossians 2:6-7