Bernardete Leal
When we look at a garden, we may see beautiful flowers, fruits, and vegetables. They are evidence of God’s gifts to us providing the nourishment we need for our bodies. It is beautiful to see the smile that flowers bring to someone on a special occasion or enjoy the scent of its perfume in the air.
Human beings are like plants that produce what has been sowed. The difference is that a plant bears only one kind of fruit or flower, while human beings, with very fertile soil, produce a variety of fruits: good or bad. Every day we are harvesting these fruits that are the results of the seeds we planted yesterday, today, or in past lives.
A child, from an early age, presents fertile soil, and depending on what is sowed and watered, he will reproduce in the environment in which he lives such as home, school, and society, what he has learned. Parents and families are constantly planting seeds in their children’s lives, and at times, they get surprised, when observing and dealing with certain behavior, questioning where it came from. Many parents forget that the answer can be found in the seeds that were planted at home.
When you look at a child or even an adult, ask yourself if seeds of love, patience, compassion, tolerance, and discipline have been planted in them. Or, were seeds of anger, prejudice, pride, competition, selfishness, and envy planted in their hearts? Parents have a great mission in raising a child. Question 582 in The Spirits’ Book explains about parenthood, “There is no question that it is a mission. It is a serious duty, the responsibilities of which will exercise a much more significant impact on people’s future than a person might think. God has placed children under the guidance of their parents so that they can direct the child to goodness and integrity. God has even facilitated their task by giving the child a weak and gentle physical makeup, completely open to new impressions.”
A plant needs water and light to live. Light is God who enlightens us and gives us strength to grow and overcome difficulties. God helps us to grow strong roots to deal with severe weather and storms that knock on our door once in a while. Therefore, it is very important to promote a well-fertilized soil for children to receive the light and knowledge of the Creator, watered with the moral teachings of our dear brother, Jesus.
If we neglect that, we run into the risk of children being like in the Parable of the Sower, where Jesus tells us about the different types of soil that receive the seed, which is the word of God, and describes why many of them did not grow.
Spiritism helps us to understand the responsibility of parents in the formation of their children. It educates us, gives us tools, and hope. And if by any chance you start to notice negative fruits sprouting in your children as a result of seeds planted today or in past lives, don’t despair or waste time blaming yourself. We are human beings and we make mistakes for lack of knowledge. The Spiritist teachings remind us that we are eternal spirits and it is never too late to repair, the best we can, a wrong-doing, and take action.
As soon as you become aware, surround your child with light by visualizing seeds of love in his heart. Be a good example and slowly remove the weeds that have begun to sprout, always praying. Just like a glass with dirty water, you will be the little drops of clear water that, placed continuously, will turn the polluted water into crystal clear water.
God does not abandon His children and recognizes the work and sacrifice of parents. We know that parenting is not easy, but we must not abandon our commitment. Therefore, keep fertilizing and watering the soil of your children in love and morals so that the Greatest of the Sowers will find fertile ground to sprout fruits of love, peace, and joy.
Peace,
