One day when the kids got off the bus at the farm, they found that Haley was planting seeds in the garden. She explained that she was planting lettuce seeds so that they would have a late crop of lettuce at the end of the summer and into fall. Haley stood up and showed the kids a full packet of seeds. The lettuce seeds were small and black, there were hundreds of seeds in the packet. Just then there was a sudden gust of wind, and the packet of seed flew out of Haley’s hand. Haley lunged for the packet and caught the lower edge of it! The packet of seeds was upside down, and all those seeds fell to the ground! Haley lost her balance and she fell right on top of the seeds! When Haley got up, there were some lettuce seeds stuck to her clothes, but most of the seeds were pushed into the soft ground! They would not grow good because there were too many seeds packed together in a very small space.
Joe came out and looked at the mess at the edge of the garden and just shook his head, there would be no late crop of lettuce that year! Joe then told the kids that they were going to learn about seeds that day. He told the kids to grab a partner and go through the fields and the forest and see how many typed of seeds they could find. Joe told them to bring back all the different types of seeds and to put them on the table by the barn.
The groups of two ran through the field and into the forest. Some of them did not know what kind of seeds they would find, but they started looking. Some of the kids found a big tree with hundreds of acorns underneath it. They decided that the acorns might be seeds, so they put a bunch of acorns in their pockets and ran back and put them on the table. Another group found some raspberries and remembered that the berries have a lot of little seeds in them, so they got put on the table too! Other groups found dandelions where the flowers had turn to seed puffs, some found seeds from a maple tree that spin through the air like small helicopters, some found hickory nuts, and many of the groups found seeds from different types of flowers. One group went to the corn field and got several ears of corn from the stalks because they knew that the kernels of corn were seeds. Another group found some tall grass that had seeds growing on the stop of the grass stems. Haley was running around trying to find different types of seeds, and she tripped and landed in some weeds! When she got up, there were burrs stuck in her hair!
When they all got back to the table by the barn, they were surprised at how many types of seeds that they had found. Haley was sad because she had not found any seeds, but Joe told here that she had found seeds! Joes carefully untangled Haley’s hair and managed to get the burrs out of her hair. Joe put the burrs on the table and told the group that the burrs were seeds too! Joe told the group that they would go inside and eat lunch, and afterwards they would talk about the seeds and learn a little more about God.
After lunch the group came back outside, and they could not believe their eyes! Haley’s pet raccoon Daniel was standing on the table eating the berries! A chipmunk was also on the table, and he was stuffing acorns into his mouth until his cheeks bulged until they were as big as his head! A couple of squirrels grabbed acorns and hickory nuts and ran away. Birds swooped down and ate more of the seeds, and a rabbit was eating seeds that fell on the ground! Daniel grabbed the ears of sweet corn and ran toward the forest with them! In just a few minutes the table was bare, except for the burrs (nobody wanted to eat them)!
The kids accused the animals of being thieves! They could not believe that all the seeds they had gathered were gone. Joe told the kids that the animals were not thieves, they were gathering food. God made the animals with instincts that taught them to gather the food that God provided for them.
The chipmunks and the squirrels gathered nuts and other seeds that would not spoil and stored them in their homes so that they would have food to eat all winter.
The birds need to eat food constantly to generate a lot of energy. Some of the birds would need energy to migrate to warmer climates before winter. Other birds that do not migrate need a lot of energy to stay warm in the winter.
Raccoons, like Daniel, need to eat a lot so that they get fat before winter. They sleep most of the winter and they need the fat to keep them alive and keep them warm when they are sleeping during the winter.
Rabbits stay awake during the winter, but they need extra fat to keep them warm and to keep them alive during the winter when there is not much food.
The kids were worried that the animals would eat so many seeds that there would be no new plants and trees next year. Joe asked them how many acorns were under the oak tree, and one of the kids said that there were hundreds of acorns under each oak tree. It was the same with other plants; each raspberry had many seeds in it, each kernel of corn was a seed, and each ear of corn had hundreds of kernels. Joe said that God provided more than enough seeds so that the animals had what they needed, and there were still enough seeds left over for new plants and trees to start growing next year.
God is very generous and provides abundantly for the needs of animals, and there are still enough seeds left over.
God also provides very generously for those who have asked Jesus into their lives.
In the Bible in 6:25-34 it says:
That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life – whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to Him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, He will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
In the Bible in Philippians 4:19 it says:
And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.
God provides abundantly for the animals needs, and He promises to provide for the needs of believers, but God goes further than that! Besides providing for the everyday needs of the believers, God also provides a wonderful plan for each believer’s life!
In the Bible in Jeremiah 29:11-13 God says:
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for Me wholeheartedly, you will find Me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord.
God has made these wonderful promises to everyone who has believed that Jesus died for their sins, rose from the dead, prayed, and asked forgiveness for their sins, and asked Jesus to come into their life and take control.
Believers do not have to go through life worrying about everything. Jesus does not promise that believers will have an easy life, by He has promised to go with believers through every part of this life, the good times, and the hard times, and He has promised to provide for us.