For Kids · 3 min with a grown-up
A farmer breaks up the hard, dry ground before planting seeds, so they can grow. In this message, God asks His people to let Him soften their hearts.
Today's Story
God gave Jeremiah another message. And God used a farming picture to help everyone understand.
“Think about a farmer,” God said. “If the ground is hard and dry and full of prickly weeds, the seeds can't grow. So first the farmer breaks up the hard ground and clears out the thorns. Then good things can grow.”
“Your hearts have gotten hard like that ground,” God told the people. “Let Me break up the hard parts. Let Me wash your hearts clean, so good things can grow in you again.”
God also warned them, kindly, that some hard days were coming. He didn't want them to be surprised. A good shepherd tells his sheep about trouble ahead so they can be ready and stay close to him. That is what God was doing — warning them because He cared, and inviting them to come near.
Underneath the whole message was one loving question from God: “Will you let Me make your heart soft and clean again?”
A Big Word
Memory Verse
Talk About It
- Have you ever felt grumpy or hard inside — like you didn't want to share or say sorry? What helped your heart get soft again?
- A farmer has to break up hard ground before seeds can grow. What good things do you think God wants to grow in your heart?
- God warned His people about hard days because He cared. How is a warning sometimes a kind thing, even when it's about something hard?