Wednesday 2, September 2026

Recently, a friend showed me how to simplify a task and save precious time. I followed her instructions and got into a rhythm. Shortly after, she commented that I wasn’t using the method she taught. I subconsciously reverted to what I knew. Her next instructions were, ‘Do what works’. As we reflect on Today’s Holy Nougat, what would our advice to the Sower be?

Mark 4:4-5 NIV

[4] As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.

[5] Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.

The Sower’s Dilemma

I’m sure that even an inexperienced, non-professional farmer or 4-H clubber knows that when sowing seed, we must choose the right soil for each crop. In places where seeds aren’t sold in packaged envelopes, there may be variations of the Old Farmer’s Almanack, in human or printed form. The Old Farmer’s Almanack offers information on long-term weather forecasts, astronomy, planting schedules, and practical advice for rural and household living. Yet the farmer in Y’shua’s parable did none of that. The Sower simply scattered seed.

Self-Check

What would our instinctive thought be if we saw a sower scattering seed on a sidewalk?

Digging Deeper

There is a very interesting Jamaican proverb worth considering as we reflect on the sower’s dilemma. It says, I’m here to drink milk, not count cows; that is, I’m attending to my task and not getting distracted by anything else. Yet, if the sower aims for crops to grow, the sidewalk and rocky ground truly aren’t ideal spots for scattering. Unless the aim was to feed birds.

Knowing as we do that the seed is God’s Word made flesh, and the soil is humanity, would our advice to the Sower change? For it is clear that the ‘birds’ are not soil. They might be everything else that would harden a heart against God. Nevertheless, God didn’t allow that to detract from scattering seeds on the pavement.

Maybe it is that God knows that if the seed manages to grow through the cracks, the next time around, there’s that much more soil in/on which the seed can take root. And the following planting season will carry that much more space for sowing until the space is either sealed with concrete and stones or deep enough to receive the seed.

It’s true, the tender shoot will grow quickly on shallow soil. But what if the Sower or a designated farm worker was tasked with tending the soil? Some of the churches to whom Paul ministered had shallow soil issues. Hence his many instructions for right living, and his reprimands to both the Corinthian and Galatian churches. Yet, Paul persisted. And we learn from their mistakes today.

After noticing my automatic instinctive actions, my friend didn’t dissuade me from the method I was using. She was available to help me with increasing my efficiency. But she also recognised it sometimes involves allowing the other to learn for themselves. Are we there for those facing life challenges?

In our own task of sowing seed on God’s behalf, we may be sent to Nineveh like Jonah. The evidence suggests that the soil was pavement hard or extremely rocky. Yet recent arguments suggest that it is feasible for Jonah’s fish ordeal to have impacted the Ninivites favourably. It may have increased the chances of their conversion. Some genuinely converted, though many reverted to their old ways.

Jonah had one task – sow the seed. God was responsible for the increase. As God’s sent sowers today, how shall we handle our soil dilemma?

Point to Ponder

Is it our task to check soil density and quality for sowing seeds of the Gospel, or are we charged simply to scatter seeds? Selah.

—

May all we seek be found in Christ