Plant in Faith. Leave the Growth to God.

As people who love to be in control, we naturally want to dictate how things play out. We love a detailed plan and want to see that plan all the way to completion. It is a good feeling when we feel as though everything was worth the effort we put in.  We are able to breathe a sigh of relief when we know something is finally done. But when we think about the Kingdom of God and the overall story of the Bible, many times we see that the end is not always seen immediately and sometimes not at all. In the Bible, some endings aren’t seen for several generations. The main promise throughout the Old Testament, that God would send a Savior, isn’t fulfilled until the New Testament, hundreds of years later. And even now, we are still awaiting the second coming of Jesus to rescue us from this world, which was promised many years ago.

But God doesn’t want us to get caught up in the outcome. He calls us to plant the seeds and leave the rest up to him. Learning to let go of seeing the ending would help alleviate some of the stress we put on ourselves when things don’t happen as we think they should.  We experience peace when we surrender outcomes to the Creator. When we surrender, we find rest after simply doing our part and not taking on a weight we were never meant to carry. We are called to be co-laborers and not the source of life. We work alongside God; we are not God.

I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 1 Corinthians 3:6-7

Because of the Holy Spirit, we are able to partner with God and do all that he has called us to do, but we know that apart from God, we can do nothing.

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5

As women, especially, we love to play fixer and solve everyone else’s problems. It is a part of how God created us to be a helper.

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” Genesis 2:18

Even with good intentions, we struggle with trying to fit into the role of a “fixer” by trying to change people or situations in our own strength. Only the Holy Spirit can change the hearts of others. All we can do is love, pray, encourage, and plant seeds.

But even as a helper, our doing is limited. God’s plans are always bigger than what we can see, and He uses many different methods, systems, and people together to bring His plans to fruition.

When we plant small seeds, whether it be sending an encouraging text, praying for a friend, sharing the Gospel with a stranger, or even just showing up for a friend in need, it makes an eternal impact. We see many instances in the Bible where Jesus simply and intentionally placed seeds of hope and love in the people he encountered. For example, when Jesus stopped and talked with the woman at the well in John 4, he shared about the living water, which in turn drew her closer to himself and led her to go share her testimony. Another example is when Jesus took the time to pray over the young children in Mark 10, instead of just looking past them. This small act of love displayed God’s heart for those with childlike faith. When Jesus washed the feet of his disciples in John 13, he planted a seed of servant leadership and humility that has impacted his Kingdom even today. This reminds us that the ordinary to us can bring the extraordinary when God is involved.

Some seeds just take time to grow, and others bloom in places we may not see. Sometimes we may share something that didn’t seem to land as intended or pray for someone to change, and it never happened, but those moments still matter to God. Those seeds have been planted and will bring a harvest in God’s perfect timing.

The world measures success by numbers and analytics, but God’s kingdom runs on obedience. There is no “insights” button for Heaven’s algorithms. Only God can track the reach of your faithfulness, and what seems hidden to us is always seen by Him. Every seed planted in faith is seen by the Father who matters the most. The world celebrates what’s seen, but God celebrates what’s sown.

So even when you may not get the result you want or see the full circle moment of what you planted, you can trust that God sees every seed.

Our job is to sow in faith; God’s job is to bring the harvest. Keep sowing friends! The harvest will be beautiful in his perfect timing.

🤎