Seeds: How to Share the Mystery of Life from Death with Your Grandchildren

Spring. Everywhere we look, we see renewal. Life from death. The new yellow green leaves of spring. White blossoms on the Bradford pears. And, yes, the pollen. Though Easter has passed, the resurrection song continues its melody as the life cycle begins anew. 

I love to garden. When we lived in Arizona, I had a sizable one. Corn, pumpkins, melons—until they grew to about tennis ball size and our dog claimed them for his personal toy. Scripture is loaded with lessons on seeds and new life—to which your grandchild may roll their eyes and say, “So what?” 

Do you have a ready answer? Let’s explore the topic.

1. New Life and Second Chances: Ever need a do-over? Yep, been there. 

And your grandkids have too.

Springtime and seeds remind us of beginnings. 

Fresh starts.

Of opportunities for change, by God’s grace. Not a forced change, but a supernatural one as we grow into the new creation we are in Christ. 

But how do we share this? Seeds. 

Death to the old. Life to the new. The husk or shell breaks and life springs forth. 

How? It’s a God thing. 

Mark 4:26-29 reads:

He [Jesus] also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it because the harvest has come.” 

Take inventory. What has died in you? Anger? Bitterness? What has sprouted in you? Patience? Kindness?

How about your grandchildren? Talk with them about it as you plant seeds this spring. I have seed activities for you below. 

2. Resurrection Life: Life speaks to more than the here and now. The seeds we plant don’t look like the end product. Watermelon seeds transform into juicy dripping slices of sweetness. Sunflower seeds into tall flowers that track the sun. And acorns? Who would have thought these little guys would grow into monstrous oaks? 

1 Corinthians 15:42-44 says, “So it will be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 

One day, we will be changed. Talk about it with your grandkids. What do you think the spiritual body will be like? What are you looking forward to about the change? What might you miss?

3. The Most, High God is Life Himself. Unlike Narnia when the White Witch ruled, we are not locked in winter. Jesus’s tomb is empty. Spring always comes. Life wins. 

Proverbs 18:21 says, “The tongue has the power of life and death.” 

Our world is full of death, but life wins. Death has been defeated. As God’s image bearers, we are to bring life, beauty, and order into the chaos. John 1:4-5 reads, “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

How do we bring light and life into a dark world? Seeds. 

Seeds of kindness, of encouragement, of compassion. We plant them in the grandchildren, and we teach them to plant seeds in others. 

But the conversation might just start over a seed. 

Let’s pray: Father, use springtime and seeds to spark conversations with our grandchildren. Reveal the wonder of Your life and goodness in spring. As we plant gardens and flower beds, may we plant spiritual seeds too. We can’t wait to see what You will grow. In Jesus’s name. Amen. 

So, what resonates with you today? Second chances? Our future resurrection? God’s life in us? Choose what you like best or tackle more than one. I’ve collected activities for planting seeds, sprouting them, and even eating them.

You’ve got all spring to play.

Resources:

Seed Activities Handout

Next week: Sharing the Principles of Sowing and Reaping with Your Grandchildren