It’s harvest time—the season when we decorate with cornucopias overflowing with fruit, gourds, and other edibles. The cornucopia, or “horn of plenty,” that serves as a centerpiece for many of our Thanksgiving tables is a symbol of abundance. Originating in mythology, it was a magical horn that provided whatever one asked for.

But there was nothing magical about that first Thanksgiving feast. It was celebrated by the Pilgrims as an expression of gratitude for their first harvest. For them, it meant the promise of being able to survive the coming winter. They had enough provisions to last until the ground was able to be tilled once again in the spring. They had worked long and hard to ensure the harvest, but they also recognized that the Lord had blessed their efforts…hence the name, Thanksgiving.

Most of us have not experienced the hard work of farming for our food. If we want something, a quick trip to the supermarket satisfies our need. Still, we need to be grateful for the effort required to grow the crops that supply our tables.

Although I’m a city girl, I appreciate the farmer in Jesus’ parable of the sower in Mark 4:1-20. I’m captivated by the way he sowed his seeds. He didn’t measure them out, one by one. He didn’t pour the seeds into neatly hoed rows. No, he scattered them. Lavishly! And the seeds fell in a variety of places. On the hard path. In shallow, rocky soil. Among thorns. But some seeds landed on good, rich soil that nourished them and produced a fruitful crop.

You and I are planting seeds in the children in our lives. No, not seeds for physical food. We’re planting the seeds of the Gospel. But how are we planting? Are we like the farmer in this parable, generously sowing to all who will hear? Or do we decide who might be most productive or most worthy to receive it? Do we share freely, trusting that the seeds we plant will sprout in God’s perfect timing?

We may never see the results of the seeds we plant. But as the apostle Paul said in I Corinthians 3:6, one plants, another waters, but God is the one who makes the seed grow. Let’s do our job and trust Him for the harvest.