Practical Lessons from Nature’s Book
39
and that as the garden must be prepared for the natural seed, so the
heart must be prepared for the seed of truth. As the plant grows, the
correspondence between the natural and the spiritual sowing can be
continued
As the seed is cast into the ground, they can teach the lesson of
Christ’s death; and as the blade springs up, the truth of the resurrec-
tion
The Garden of the Heart Needs Cultivating—From the tilling
of the soil, lessons may constantly be learned. No one settles upon a
raw piece of land with the expectation that it will at once yield a harvest.
Diligent, persevering labor must be put forth in the preparation of the
soil, the sowing of the seed, and the culture of the crop. So it must
be in the spiritual sowing. The garden of the heart must be cultivated.
The soil must be broken up by repentance. The evil growths that choke
the good grain must be uprooted. As soil once overgrown with thorns
can be reclaimed only by diligent labor, so the evil tendencies of the
heart can be overcome only by earnest effort in the name and strength
of Christ
Growth in Grace—Tell your children about the miracle-working
power of God. As they study the great lesson book of nature, God will
impress their minds. The farmer plows his land and sows his seed,
but he cannot make the seed grow. He must depend on God to do that
which no human power can do. The Lord puts His vital power into the
seed, causing it to spring forth into life. Under His care the germ of
life breaks through the hard crust encasing it, and springs up to bear
fruit. First appears the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear.
[58]
As the children are told of the work that God does for the seed, they
learn the secret of growth in grace
Rising Above Surroundings—In America we have the fresh wa-
ter lilies. These beautiful lilies come up pure, spotless, perfect, without
a single mar. They come up through a mass of debris. I said to my son,
“I want you to make an effort to get me the stem of that lily as near
the root as possible. I want you to understand something about it.”
7
Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 142
.
8
Education, 111
.
9
Ibid
.
10
Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 124, 125
.