Spring falls upon the earth and fresh seeds that were sown with tender care begin to sprout and flourish.  It is a new beginning as the earth begins another revolution in the cycle of life.

Preparing the land for food plots involves some scientific reasoning, a lot of hard work and sweat.  The soil needs to be the correct PH in order for your efforts to be successful.  If your PH is not adequate, then you apply Lime to raise it to optimal growing conditions.  Each year as you continue to work this land, it becomes easier and you get a better return on your investment.  The seeds are sown and fertilizer applied for the annual crops that will provide the deer with the much needed protein for the summer months.
 
For me, this planting of seeds relates directly to my life and how I lead it.  I am drawn to the “Parable of the Sower” as Jesus taught the people and His Disciples by the lake.  As I read this parable, it tells me that the seeds that I sow in life that are careless and not carefully thought out, will never have a chance to take root or even begin to sprout.  Other seeds sown may sprout at first, but if they are not sown in a righteous way they will never thrive.  We have to give our total trust and life to Jesus, otherwise the hesitation and worry will overpower these seeds, choke them out and they too will not survive.  If you put your whole heart and all your effort into God, then your crops of life will prosper greater than you can ever imagine.  I often think to myself, why did it take me so long to figure this out?  It is such a pure feeling when you do finally come to realize this and walk in your life as an upright man. 

Mark 4: 1-20

“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.  He taught them many things in parables, and in his teaching said:  “Listen!  A farmer went out to sow his seed.  As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.  Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil.  It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.  But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and withered because they had no root.  Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain.  Still other seed fell on good soil.  I came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times.”

Then Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about parables.  He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you.  But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, “they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!”

Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable?  How then will you understand any parable?  The farmer sows the word.  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.  Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy.  But since they have no root, they only last a short time.  When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.  Still others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop-thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times what was sown.”

As we build and share our experiences and teachings of the word, it is very fulfilling to work the land that God has provided and at the same time quenching our thirst for His message.  As we share experiences with each other, we realize and reaffirm that no man is perfect and everyone has sinned.  From time to time, we all struggle with our guilt from the past.  While we may never forget the sins we have committed, we have peace knowing that Christ died for our sins. 

This spring I encourage you to look at the seeds you are sowing in your life.  May they be sown deep, in rich soil and grow to enrich your righteous walk more than you could ever imagine.