Soak

“Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a seed. But if it dies, it bears much fruit.” – John 12:24 

Being a home educator, I am often delightfully surprised by the inspirations that come up through living a full life. The Lord’s mercy and tender love often show up when I least expect but am most needy. A little faith like a seed goes a long way. What a comfort to know He is the one to will, to act, and to bring His plans into completion for His glory! This is true for my salvation, sanctification, and also true for all my children’s future. He cares about our loved ones more than we can ever imagine! 

I love those moments when a simple but profound spiritual truth becomes more evident to me through God’s creation and seemingly random life occurrences. It takes wisdom to explain deep truths in a way that a little child can understand. This wisdom is not from the world and can not be produced on our own. The true wisdom from above is simply a gift to receive by faith through the power of the Holy Spirit. God may use His creation to strengthen my faith as I put my trust in the Lord. I am grateful for my all-wise Father in heaven to help a slow learner like me. However, God can shed light to different people in different ways. As much as I am passionate about sharing the Truth, I need to learn to submit to His timing and His ways to let those who have ears to hear. I also need eyes to see others’ needs and ears to listen for spiritual readiness. 

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of all knowledge and wisdom. To be truly wise, we first need to know the Lord, our Creator and Savior. We need to have a connection with the Almighty to have life-giving sparks in our learning. As a gardener, it is a common practice to soak the seeds before the planting. The purpose is to activate the dormant seeds through the soaking process, so the seeds will “wake up”. You may even discover some cute sprouts. One of our early homesteading experiments was sprouting the seeds. My favorite seeds to sprout are mung beans, which are easy with a high, nearly 100%, sprouting rate! I am not sure about you, but it takes me a while to try new things when life seems already packed-full. Even though I had exposure to sprouting as a child, I never really had done sprouting by myself. Like many new things, they always seem more daunting at first. What if I waste my time and seeds? How will my failure affect my children? Will they be discouraged and not willing to try again because of my failures? 

I tend to worry too much to get started. By God’s grace, He has allowed a few seeds to accidentally drop off the overnight soaking pot (Check out more details for soaking and cooking beans from Vitamix). Guess what? The next day, I noticed the sprouted seeds appearing happily in the sink! That was a miraculous spark for my learning! All of a sudden, I was inspired by life, as the seed did what it was designed to do. When the temperature, moisture, lighting, timing, and other conditions are just right (or even roughly in the ball park), life happens. It is so EASY but yet a complicated process which I am not qualified to fully explain. It definitely makes a good science lesson for homeschooling. Science helps to explain how things are connected in a logical manner. Have you ever wondered who designed the seeds? Science without God, the Creator, can not satisfy the hungry soul for deeper purpose and connection. On the other hand, the Holy Spirit keeps drawing us closer to our Creator Father even through those “random” moments. 

The sprouted seeds immediately brought me to the realization that the seeds died!! Yes, those seeds are no longer seeds any more. The sprouts prove that a new life has begun! There is no way back. Even if the sprout dies, it dies as a plant rather than a seed. I am motivated and urged to tender the seedling for optimal growth. It’s a quiet but compelling calling from nature. If I allow the sprout to continue to grow, it will stretch out more stems, leaves, and roots. Then the seedling will be ready to be transplanted into good soil to continue the growth and reproduction. Eventually, that little plant, transformed from a tiny seed, will bear much fruit and eventually a LOT more seeds. Life, abundant life, goes on and on! As a gardener, I pray that I will never lose the wonder of the power and value of seeds! When we are tending the garden, we are privileged to have the front row seats to watch how life happens, continues and multiplies. However, even if you are not into gardening, you can easily find signs of transformation in the eco-system when you are close to nature. 

When the sprouting happens, it is easy to notice that the outer skin of the seeds/beans will come off easily. A question I like to ask my children, “Would it be easier to peel off the outer skin before or after the soaking?”  The answer seems obvious to them. 

As a homemaker without a dishwasher, the soaking method comes really handy if you have some hardened-on tough spots to clean out on the bottom of a pan or dishes. The soaking tip saves a lot of time and energy on scrubbing extra dirty dishes, doesn’t it? 

However, how many times do we try to get rid of a bad habit in our own efforts without the “soaking” of the Holy Spirit? We imagine we can change and have a new life without dying first. We don’t have the vision of a renewed life after death. We are deceived by the concept of “death” without hope from the broken world. 

The “soaking” also connects me to Christian baptism. By God’s grace and providential care, one of my children recently was baptized. 

When asked by the Pastor, “Why do you want to get baptised?”

His answer, “Have a new life”! 

Simple but to the point. When you get baptized, it symbolizes the old self being buried with the water. The old is gone and we are set free from the bondage of sin and death. So you are literally soaked. Being baptized is not the most glamorous moment, but is a great opportunity to proclaim a powerful message in public by faith. When you stand up from the water, it represents the new life in Jesus Christ, our Lord through His Resurrection. We are baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, the Triune God! We belong to God’s family and kingdom, forever and ever. What a glorious milestone in our faith journey! 

Baptism itself does not bring salvation. Baptism is an outward proclamation of our faith. We are baptised by the Holy Spirit when we confess our sins and invite Jesus to be our Lord and Savior. True baptism is a one-time event but an ongoing process through the work of the Holy Spirit. Baptism also connects us with the Body of Christ of all believers in Jesus Christ and more directly with a local Bible-teaching church. It saddens us when people rarely show up at church after being baptized. There is no magical power in the act of baptism itself. Baptism, as a ritual, does not guarantee us to go to heaven and receive eternal life. Only through knowing and bonding with Jesus, we are not only alive spiritually in our earthly life, but also one day we will appear with Jesus in glory. 

Have you been soaked like a seed? Different seeds come with different sizes and need different lengths of time to “wake up”. God has designed each glorious seed and He has great plans for our children as well. He made the whole world with His children in His mind like a loving Father will do. Through His beautiful, orderly, and powerful creation, He is calling His people from the east to the west, and everywhere in between. When you seek Him, you will find His fingerprints everywhere no matter where you are or what you do. 

Just look into the mirror, you will see the image of the Father. He made you, male or female. Nothing is hidden from God. He searches our hearts and minds and orchestrates our life events and who we will meet. As a mother, I need to continue to learn to surrender to Him, trusting His timing for calling and using my children for Kingdom work. In His proper time and perfect manner, our children will hopefully sprout and bear much fruit for His glory! This is not a wishful thinking kind of hope but a hope anchored on God’s word and promises. He will redeem our past, current and future mistakes. He died (and rose) for us because He knows we can’t save ourselves. We need a Savior! Death has no hold of those who put their trust in Savior Jesus! 

Are you immersed by the Holy Spirit? Have you been washed by the precious blood of Jesus? As a child of God, baptism is only one step of faith, a huge step for sure. God has begun His work in His children way before they are born, even before the foundation of the world! Let that sink in a bit… Knowing God’s eternal plan of salvation, we, as parents, never need to fret, or to rush our children for an act of baptism.

By faith, we will continue to show love and mercy, share and live out the Gospel by His strength and pray fervently for our children even when we don’t see signs of conversion or when a child walks away from Godly thinking or living. When our faith is tested, God will graciously fill our hearts richly with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit if we faithfully cry out to the Father. The more we follow and trust God’s leading joyfully, the more we are being transformed by God through Jesus’ Word, the Bible. We learn to love our children and others like our Father loves us. We grow in our faith in God’s greater love and perfect care for our children. We are to be like Jesus for our Father’s glory as a family, and as a church! God will never forsake us and will be with us every step we go! 

Trust God with the eternal hope in Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit! And pray, pray, pray… 

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13) 

Further reading/listening: 

One of our boys had an article published recently through Keys for Kids: New Life Mushrooms (Search for “New Life Mushrooms”, Daily Devotional for July 13, 2025).

It’s a fun read (and listen) but more importantly, I pray the spiritual truth shared is true for my children for years to come and for yours as well.