Are you a good gardener? Maybe you thrive in planting a garden full of greens. Maybe you look at a plant and it dies. Whatever level of skill you have, it is pretty neat to watch what a tiny seed can do.

Teachers, you are planting seeds. There is no doubt that since the beginning of the school year you have seen growth in your students. Sure, physically they have grown. They are taller now, maybe bigger in stature. Most importantly, they have grown spiritually. Day after day of hearing the promises of God. Hours upon hours of singing his praises and praying with fellow classmates. Lessons upon lessons of learning about God’s love through so many Bible stories. You have planted so many seeds and you have no idea how many people have been reached by those seeds. Moms, dads, grandparents, people in Costco hearing your students belting out the song that they have been practicing for church, neighbors that constantly notice the joy that beams from your student hopping off of the bus after school. Breathe easy, because whether you are a good gardener or not, the Holy Spirit is in control of making these seeds grow. He is working in the hearts of each of your students. He is making those tiny seeds into something big and beautiful.

Take a second to imagine monitoring outside recess. This time of year, outside recess is pretty enjoyable. The weather is getting nicer and sometimes you find yourself taking a little bit of extra time outside to enjoy the sun. Imagine watching the eighth graders push the preschoolers on the swings. Both groups of kiddos are smiling and enjoying themselves. There is something just so pure about the moment. It is special to see how the big kids have grown in their faith walk, leadership abilities, and even their love for their schoolmates. It is enough to bring tears to your eyes.

This time of year, there will be many ways in which the big kids are celebrated. There might even be slideshows of how they have grown over the years. For the parents, and maybe even for the teachers, it seems like yesterday that those big kids were the youngest in the school. Oh, how they have grown.

The seeds that have been planted are just outstanding. The Lord has truly blessed your efforts. Hopefully some of your students will consider working in the full-time ministry someday. Perhaps some of them will be leaders in their church in the future. God-willing, they will be faithful in attending worship services and serve their congregations in an abundance of ways.

Keep planting. God is working in each one of your students. He is working in you. Be faithful in your work and praise him for the beautiful things that only he can grow.