It was an unconscionable crime—grossly immoral and terribly destructive. In the middle of the night, he snuck onto the property of one of his enemies and ruined his crop. Knowing that this man had recently sowed good seed throughout his fields, he stealthily followed behind and sowed seeds he knew would spring up into weeds, thorns, and brambles. Though he knew his crime would go undetected for a time, he knew also that soon enough the weeds would begin to grow up alongside the crops to overwhelm them and choke them out.
This morning your wife began her day by reading the Bible and a brief devotional to go with it. She spent a few minutes praying and seeking the Lord’s blessing for the day ahead. Good seeds were planted in her heart. But did you then emerge from bed in a grumbling mood and immediately begin expressing your displeasure at her or your discontentment with life in general? Did you interrupt her worship or steal her joy? In other words, did you follow behind and sow weeds among the wheat?
On Sunday, your friend heard a sermon that blessed and encouraged him. He listened attentively as the Word was being preached and he meditated on a few ways he could apply it to his life. Good seeds were planted within, seeds that would spring up to love and good deeds. But did you immediately suggest ways the sermon may have fallen short or express your view that the pastor may not have perfectly exposited the passage? Did you tempt him to doubt instead of trust and to complain instead of rejoice? Did you follow behind and plant weeds among the healthy growth?
Every day good seeds are being sown into the lives of the people around us, the people we love and are called to serve. And every day we are tempted to plant thorns among them, to sow weeds among the wheat and tares among the crops. We are tempted to add doubt to faith, discouragement to hope, evil thoughts to pure and holy desires. We are tempted to do the work of the devil instead of the work of the Lord.
We are in every moment influencing the people around us with our words and deeds, with our actions and attitudes. And in every moment and every situation our sacred calling is to promote good growth instead of poor growth, to scatter good seed rather than bad. It is to do all we can to foster the kind of growth that will spring up into a bountiful harvest of love, joy, grace, and peace. And for that reason, each one of us must be willing to ask ourselves: Am I in the habit of scattering bad seed?
