A mentor recently asked me how motherhood was going. I was honest. “It’s hard,” I said, “Mainly because I can get discouraged in teaching the same lessons to the same child over and over and over and over again, wondering if they’ll ever get it.” She kindly chuckled with a touch of sympathy. Then she said something that hasn’t left my mind.
She said, “Remember to sow in hope, Lara. Sow in hope of the harvest.”
I have chewed on those words ever since. Sow in hope. Sow in hope. And I’ve asked God to expand those words in my spirit.
I’m not a farmer. But my grandparents were farmers. And I remember us taking trips to Tennessee for visits. We’d usually arrive in their gravel driveway just as the late afternoon sun was starting to set over the hills. Cows would be grazing in his pastures. His tractor would be resting in the field. And with the smell of my grandmother’s southern cookin’ lingering in the air, we would take a walk through their garden and they would talk about rain levels and hopes of a coming harvest.
I didn’t pay much attention.
But I learned this. I learned that a farmer sows seeds in hope. He cultivates the ground and pushes seeds into the earth. He pulls weeds and feeds and waters. He sweats and prays. But he doesn’t make the seeds grow. Only God can actually bring the harvest.
I (Paul) planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.
1 Corinthians 3:6-7
I’ve thought a lot about what this sowing and reaping looks like in motherhood. And I know that many of us will struggle with the idea of sowing in hope because it means a release of control — or perceived control. It means years of pushing the seeds of God’s word down into the soil of the hearts of our kids — one by one, day in and day out — without always seeing visible signs of growth. But if we don’t sow in hope of a coming harvest then discouragement will press down. And discouragement is not our inheritance in Christ.
It may not be a tomorrow harvest. Or even a next day harvest. But God does have a good plan. He’s writing our story just as much as He’s writing their story. And His loving Father heart can be trusted.
We sow. We water. We sweat. We pray. But we do it all in hope. We do it resting in the God of hope. Because He alone brings the growth. He alone brings the harvest.
Fill me, Lord…
How does this “sowing in hope” challenge or encourage you?
Thank you for a nugget of wisdom to hold onto this morning. Truly needed it after one of our teens blew up over seemingly nothing this morning. The emotional roller coaster of teens is exhausting most days…how I long to see some fruit…
Wow. Teens. Trusting that The Lord will faithfully prepare me for those years. Blessings, Cyndee.
This is gold. Thank you for mulling over the phrase “sow in hope” and thank God for giving you the insight to share. I have to be honest. Two and four years old are not my favorite ages so far on this motherhood journey. I mean, two and four have been really, really trying. But this “sow in hope” message is one I can get on board with. So the next time I turn to my husband with the words, “have I told you that two and four stinks?” Instead, I’ll zip my lips and pray, “Lord, teach me to sow in hope.”
Two and four. Girlfriend, these early years are hard. But as my mom says, “They may step on your toes now, but in a few years they will step on your heart.” Lord, help us.
Oh WOW Lara! I just love how God connects his message through the words of others. I have been pondering the fact of how hard it is to raise children and not be discouraged by the feeling of daily failure. I had just written to this morning about hard truths in parenting I love this idea of sowing seeds of hope. This post is the gift of grace and strength from God’s own heart. Thank you so much for sharing these words here today!
Thank you so much for that encouragement, Amy. Raising kids is so hard. And yes the failures are daily! Praying we sow in hope, friend.
This is one of your best! I love this, thank you for sharing. Although my littles have long since grown, I can apply this to my ministry in a big way. Thank you again Lara
Thank you, Julie. And yes, the sowing reaping can absolutely be applied to ministry and every other relationship we pour into. Bless you, sister.
this is powerful
My son with special needs has recently become completely potty trained after working on it EVERY day for 7 years. I know a bit about sowing in hope of the harvest, and the joy when the harvest comes! But I also know about sowing, and sowing, year after year, and never seeing the harvest I was hoping for. I can’t hide my disappointment. My mom once told me, “We need to hope in God with anticipation, not expectation.” A subtle yet important difference. We can hope and trust and anticipate that God will do something God-sized in our life, or the life of our child. All things work together for good to those who love Him (not that all things by themselves are going to necessarily be good). But when we hold to specific expectations, we are often disappointed. For example, if our child anticipates getting some great presents for her Birthday, she will probably be filled with joy when she opens all her gifts. But if she is expecting to get a specific doll, and doesn’t get that exact doll, she will be disappointed, even if the things she did receive were as good or better than what she was expecting. This important lesson about hoping has helped me tremendously as I sow with perseverance into the life of my children.
Thank you for sharing Debbie. You are so right. I have written many times about the difference between our definition of good versus God’s definition of good. Very very different. But I truly believe he wants us to live our lives expecting Him to be good and to be love and to be faithful. We can expect him to be true to His character and promises because that’s the kind of God He is. We don’t however know what that will mean played out in our daily lives. I pray we never place our hope in the gifts but rather in the Giver of all good gifts. He alone is worthy. Blessings sister.
“We need to hope in God with anticipation, not expectation.” A subtle yet important difference.
Wow. That is so obvious when you see it, yet so completely hard to grasp and do. I love the example you give about the birthday presents. Our church just started a big movement looking forward to the harvest and how we are to be planting seeds now. Lara’s message hooks right into that and your comments give an additional perspective. Thank you SO much for sharing.
Sowing in hope with my children is getting easier (my oldest is 12) but lately it’s my peer friendships that are the challenge. Hoping – and trusting – when friends have disappointed, that’s hard. No answers, yet.
I love the picture of us “sowing” into our children. It’s such an honor and privilege to be entrusted by God with this task of parenting. My daughter just turned three, and I’ve recently starting seeing fruit from years of training and hard work. It encourages me! It fills my heart to overflowing. I love the little girl she’s becoming.
I really needed to hear these words. I feel a lot like you most days. I same the same words over and over but the kids’ behavior doesn’t change. Hope, may I start to sow in hope of what the Father will do in my kids.