I am but a sower of seeds… to the ones entrusted to me…

Those along the road
come to class and hear the lecture,
but as soon as friends say, "free beer at the frat house!"
they forget about class, drop their notes 
and head out for some fun.

Those along the gravel
listen in class and take good notes,
but there are so many classes and so many notes;
surely they can get by with just a quick review
before the test.

Those in the weeds, well,
they've come to class, listened, taken notes and even read the textbook,
but seeing all their REALLY smart peers, they panic.
All they've studied gets twisted in anxious confusion
and becomes irretrievable on test day.

But...those who've found rich earth,
say, a quiet place at Swem library or a supportive study group in the dorm,
they dive into class notes and textbook
digging deep for full understanding,
even quizzing each other to prepare for the test.

These will reap the highest grades on test day,
harvesting insights and bubbling in correct responses.
Theirs will be a happy day
when I post the exam scores on Blackboard.
And I will be happy, too,
perhaps the happiest of all.

****
Road, gravel, weeds, rich earth,
which of these?
May your way be plain and your soil nourishing
****

The Story of the Seeds 
As told in The Message Bible, Luke 8: 4-14

As they went from town to town, a lot of people joined in and traveled along. He addressed them, using this story: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. Some of it fell on the road; it was tramped down and the birds ate it. Other seed fell in the gravel; it sprouted, but withered because it didn’t have good roots. Other seed fell in the weeds; the weeds grew with it and strangled it. Other seed fell in rich earth and produced a bumper crop.

“This story is about some of those people. The seed is the Word of God. The seeds on the road are those who hear the Word, but no sooner do they hear it than the Devil snatches it from them so they won’t believe and be saved. “The seeds in the gravel are those who hear with enthusiasm, but the enthusiasm doesn’t go very deep. It’s only another fad, and the moment there’s trouble it’s gone. “And the seed that fell in the weeds—well, these are the ones who hear, but then the seed is crowded out and nothing comes of it as they go about their lives worrying about tomorrow, making money, and having fun. “But the seed in the good earth—these are the good-hearts who seize the Word and hold on no matter what, sticking with it until there’s a harvest.