p. 127 | Sowing Little Seeds

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Aug 14, 1868

Sowing Little Seeds.

LITTLE Bessie had a present of a new book, and she eagerly opened it to look at the first picture. It was the picture of a boy sitting by the side of a stream, and throwing seeds into the water.

“I wonder what this picture is about?” said she; “why does the boy throw seeds into the water?”

“Oh, I know,” said her brother Edward, who had been looking at the book; “he is sowing the seeds of water-lilies.”

“But how small the seeds look!” said Bessie. “It seems strange that such large plants should grow from such little things.”

“You are just sowing such tiny seeds every day, Bessie, and they will come up large and strong plants after a while,” said her father,

“Oh! no, father; I have not planted any seeds for a long while.”

“I have seen my daughter sow a number of seeds to-day.”

Bessie looked puzzled, and her father smiled and said, “Yes, I have watched you planting flowers, and seeds, and weeds, to-day.”

“Now I know that you are joking, for I would not plant ugly weeds.”

“I will tell you what I mean. When you laid aside that interesting book, and attended to what your mother wished you to do, you were sowing seeds of kindness and love. When you broke the dish that you knew your mother valued, and came instantly and told her, you were sowing seeds of truth. When you took the cup of cold water to the poor woman at the gate, you were sowing the seeds of mercy. These are all beautiful flowers, Bessie. But I hope my little girl has been planting the great tree of ‘love to God,’ and that she will tend and watch it, until its branches reach the skies and meet before his throne.