The Parable of the Sower: A Farming Lesson for the Heart (from The Blackwell Farm)

At The Blackwell Farm, we spend a lot of time thinking about soil.

Not just how it looks… but how it feels.

How it holds water.

How it breaks apart in our hands.

How it receives seed.

How it responds after a storm, a freeze,

or a dry stretch of sun.

Farming has a way of slowing you down and making you pay attention. And one of the most powerful reminders God gives us through farming is found in one of Jesus’ most well-known teachings:

The Parable of the Sower.

In Matthew 13:3–9, Jesus tells a story about a farmer scattering seed, and how that seed falls on four different types of ground. Each soil responds differently — not because the seed was different, but because the condition of the soil was different.

And honestly? That hits home for us — because farming is what we do, but...

FAITH is what we live by.

The Seed Was Good… But the Soil Matters.

Jesus says the sower went out to sow, and the seed fell:

1. Along the path

2. On rocky ground

3. Among thorns

4. On good soil

Same seed. Same farmer. Same day.

Different results.

And if you’ve ever grown anything — flowers, vegetables, even a patch of grass —

you already understand this.

At The Blackwell Farm, we can plant the best seeds we can find. We can prepare beds, amend the soil, and water faithfully…

but the truth is:  

Growth always depends on what’s happening beneath the surface. That’s true in farming. And it’s true in the human HEART.

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1. The Path: When the Ground is Too Hard

Jesus describes seed that fell on the path and was quickly snatched away.

This is soil that has been packed down — walked on so many times it can’t receive anything. No softness. No openness. No room for roots.

And sometimes, life does that to us.

We go through disappointments. Loss. Pressure. Busyness. Constant noise. And without even realizing it, our hearts can become hardened — not because we don’t want God, but because we’ve been trampled by life.

At the farm, hard ground doesn’t mean we throw the field away. It means we till it. We break it up. We start again.

And in the same way, God is gentle with us. He knows how to soften what life has hardened.

Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is simply pray:

“Lord, make my heart good soil again.”

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2. Rocky Ground: When Roots Can’t Go Deep

The rocky soil receives the seed quickly. It springs up fast. It looks promising… at first.

But when the sun comes, it withers — because the roots never went deep.

If you’ve ever grown flowers, you know what this looks like. Something can look beautiful above the surface but still be weak underneath.

Rocky ground reminds us of seasons where faith is emotional, but not rooted. Where we love the idea of growth — but haven’t made room for depth.

At The Blackwell Farm, we’ve learned that shallow roots don’t survive summer.

And spiritually, shallow faith doesn’t survive hardship.

God doesn’t just want us to bloom.

He wants us to be anchored.

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3. The Thorns: When Life Crowds Out What God Planted

This one might be the most relatable.

The seed grows… but the thorns grow too. And eventually, the thorns choke it.

Jesus explains that these thorns are like:

• worries of life

• deceitfulness of wealth

• distractions and pressures that pull our attention away

We don’t always notice thorns at first.

They’re sneaky.

They look like:

“I’ll spend time with God later.”

“I’m too tired to pray.”

“I’ll get back to my purpose after I finish everything else.”

“I’m doing so much… but I feel empty.”

At the farm, weeds don’t mean the seed was bad. It just means the garden needs tending.

And if you’ve ever weeded a bed in the heat,

you know it takes patience.

It takes consistency.

It takes returning again and again.

But the reward?

A clean space for the flowers to breathe.

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4. The Good Soil: Where the Harvest Comes

Then Jesus describes the good soil.

The seed falls, it takes root, it grows, and it produces a harvest — some thirty, some sixty, some a hundredfold.

Good soil doesn’t happen by accident.

At The Blackwell Farm, good soil is built through:

• care  

• compost

• time  

• patience  

• protection  

• seasons of rest  

• learning what works and what doesn’t

And spiritually? Good soil is formed through:

• surrender

• obedience  

• prayer  

• repentance

• staying close to God

• choosing Him again and again

The beautiful thing is: God isn’t asking us to be perfect soil overnight.

He’s asking us to be willing.

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The Blackwell Farm: More Than Flowers.

To many people, flowers are “just pretty.”

But for us, they’re a reminder.

A reminder that God works in hidden places.

That growth takes time.

That storms don’t cancel purpose.

That what looks like a “dead season” might actually be preparation for the next bloom.

We don’t just grow flowers at The Blackwell Farm… we GROW with them.

Every seed planted is an act of faith.

Every harvest is a testimony. And every bouquet is a reminder that beauty can come from dirt, waiting, and trust.

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A Prayer From Our Farm to Your Home

Whether you’re in a season of planting, pruning, waiting, or blooming…

May your heart be good soil.

May God uproot what doesn’t belong.

May He water what feels dry.

May He strengthen your roots.

And may your life produce fruit that lasts.

Because when God plants something…

it’s never wasted.  

in Jesus' mighty and Holy name, Amen.

“He who has ears, let him hear.”

— Matthew 13:9

Glory to God.

With love,