Jesus tells us in simplistic terms that our life is a garden. In life, we’re always planting seeds around us that in their season will bear fruit. We tend to think of “you reap what you sow,” in a negative way, but in the Bible, there’s a positive aspect as well. When you sow by planting seeds in the ground and no one sees them, that’s building up a real harvest. When you do positive things, you’re growing yourself a better garden, a life that’s improving for you and others over time.

I just started gardening with my kids and I’m terrible at it. I have a brown thumb; everything I touch has the potential to turn brown and die. But if I get seedlings, I do okay. It amazes me how this tiny little seed planted in the ground turns into this humongous batch of spinach, jalapenos, or an apple tree. These are all things I’m trying to grow right now. In life, there’s so much power in a hidden seed. These seeds are your words and actions. And in your life, every day you are planting good seeds and bad seeds. When you help people in need, you’re planting seeds of change in your garden and in their hearts.

Friend, tend to your garden and choose every day what you’re going to grow. Choose today to build the kind of garden that will flourish where time is on your side and faith is abundant, and you’ll be very grateful you did.