"20 times a youth pastor says, “You need a time of prayer/Bible every
AM.” Yawn. One time a parent says, “I love my AM time with Jesus.” Done." -Richard Ross tweet
As a youth pastor of 10 years I find this statement to be true. The students who pass through student ministry with parents that do not show any love/time with Jesus in the home typically do not follow through a life of following Jesus once they are done with student ministry. This is not always the case, as many in the church also "adopt" students like spiritual orphans. Grandparents, adult volunteers, aunts and uncles, all have played a huge part in guiding students through harsh spiritual terrain.
For this post, I wanted to focus on how the home does in fact have spiritual impact on students. In particular, I want to focus on the Parable of the Sower found in Luke 8:4-15 as scriptural context. The basic idea of the parable is that a Sower is throwing seed out to be planted, but the seed falls to various types of ground. In each type of ground the seed is impacted. Let's examine it like this:
Seed= Word of God/Gospel/Jesus
Road soil and Thorny Soil
Road and thorny soil share a similarity. Both soil is a heart that hears the Word, but due to spiritual warfare taking place, the hardships of the world, or a hard heart it is taken away. Perhaps in the home a student faces great hardship of spiritual warfare (divorce, abuse, neglect, etc) or their is no acceptance of Jesus at all. Imagine this student coming to church or a student ministry with all his/her baggage and the Word of God penetrating through this heart. We have many of these and the biggest thing they need to allow them to even receive the gospel are people who will help make their "soil" good. This can happen by Jesus followers attempting to reach the family unit and bring the to Christ. It can be that the student is a spiritual orphan and in need of a significant Jesus following adult to reach his/her life and cultivate.
I am reminded of a young man I once worked with who was hearing the Word and finally in distress looked at me and said, "How am I supposed to believe God has a plan for my life when that plan involved sexual abuse, being taken away from my momma, and going from foster home to foster home still experiencing abuse?!" It took significant adults to invest in his life, to "adopt" him to cultivate his heart. This is a lifetime process for this student.
Rocky soil
Rock soil is a heart with no foundation or cultivation. Joyfully hears the Word, but with ease it slips away to the world as there is nothing for it to take root of. I believe many of our Christian homes actually are rocky soil. We joyfully read some Bible to our kids when they are young, say a prayer around the table, and attend church, but true cultivation of the Word is not there. The challenge to live differently in front of our children, to pray about all situations, to study the Word together and bring others into the home to share in this life are not rocky soil homes. Why? Because these are the components to cultivate the "soil" to make it ready to receive the seed of the Word.
Good soil
A heart that has been cultivated to hear the Word and is open for planting and growth to happen. Just like a plant must be given good soil that offers nutrients, be watered, and receive sun to grow properly; so does the heart that will accept the Word planted. As mentioned above the components to help create good soil are more than mere Christian rituals. They are life changing attitudes and actions. Consider cultivating the home as good soil where more than just mere reading of Scripture happens, but study and discussion. Where prayer is more than a dinner time ritual and in hard times and good times prayer toward the King of Kings is lifted in adoration of Him! Where other hearts from Road, Thorny, or Rocky soil can come to see what "Good Soil" can be and help cultivate the soil of their hearts to be good and receive the Word of God. This will require sacrifice and time. Both seeming missing in both quantity and quality in our homes today.
Be A Cultivator
I write this because as a youth minister we are only given so much time with students a week. Much less than they get in school and much less than they get at home. In addition, we are faced with the task of reaching all these various hearts in our ministries and maintain the soil of our own hearts and home. Parents we need you to be a cultivator of good soil in your home. Not for the sake of your children alone, but for the sake of others who will not find it in their own. I call on parents to step up to a challenge of discovering what life could be like with a rich soil of the heart to allow the Word to take root and grow deep in our homes. Even more, seek those who need spiritual adoption to be cultivated too! Reach students, but reach their families as well.
