Planting Seeds

Recently, God has been teaching me a huge lesson, one I have struggled to learn in the past. For as long as I can remember, I have had the optimistic enthusiasm that told me that if I could simply love someone enough, they would understand God’s love and choose to follow Him. I thought a hug and a kiss could make the world a better place. Maybe it does in a way, but never enough that I felt satisfied with my work. In the end, I was always left feeling, not only disappointed but, anger towards the one who refused to change. It was a disastrous recipe I repeatedly attempted to use to create a life I thought I was in control of.

The last two months, God has once again attempted to teach me a very important lesson: It is my job to plant seeds, but it is the seed which changes the life. I am merely a worker in the fields. I did not create the seed. I don’t have the power to force it to grow. Even if it does sprout, I have no control over whether it will flourish or wither. I need to stop thinking I do. When I take the responsibility of life out of God’s hands, I will fail every time. I don’t even begin to possess the smallest fraction of what it takes to save a life. Instead, it is my job to plant, to water and to pick the weeds when I can. If I am so honored, I may also be called to participate in the harvest, but none of that controls the seed.

We just finished the book of Matthew. This first book of the Gospels ends with the Great Commission. Its final words tell us to go into all the world and tell people what God has done. To make disciples means we invest in the lives of others. We teach, we share, we sow the seeds of the gospel. The responsibility of what happens next belongs to the Lord. We have no idea how long that seed needs to germinate, and how dare we assume it will never grow when it is only dormant!

I finally learned my lesson, and my heart is so much more at peace. I have given up control. I cannot control the morality of those around me. I can only plant seeds. I cannot demand righteousness from someone who hasn’t even sprouted yet. My life was designed to be used. My example needs to be of Christ. I fail… a lot more than I honestly thought I would at this point in my life, but I let God pick me up. I have stopped trying to get myself out of the mud. I have stopped looking into myself for the strength and the wisdom to handle difficult seasons. I simply can’t. I am weak, but God is strong. I am sometimes impatient, but God is the definition of long-suffering. I am just a worker in the field of humanity. I cannot produce a seed. I cannot force it to grow. All I can do is plant, pray, and trust.

I always thought the Great Commission was about results. Now, I see that the results don’t belong to me. The Great Commission is about love. So maybe, ironically, I can love the world enough to effect a change. Love leads us to share. Love forgives. Love waits. Love covers over a multitude of sins. Afterall, love is at the center of the seed. There could not be a Gospel without the love which drove it into being. It is love that will save this world, but not my love. My love shares the love that brings freedom. Love the lost. Love the broken. Love without expecting to see results. Love because Christ first loved us.

(Written by Keegan Harkins.)