What seeds are you planting?

It’s easy to fall into the trap of waiting on God to produce fruit, forgetting we have a role to play, argues Dominic De Souza

Summer is finally here, and with it comes one of our favourite family traditions: visiting the local ‘pick your own’ farm. There’s nothing quite like the taste of fresh, juicy, ripe strawberries we’ve picked ourselves – and for my daughters, aged four and six, they can hardly contain their excitement as we meander our way through the rows of strawberry plants. Thankfully these days more fruit ends up in their punnets than in their mouths – and it’s quite an impressive haul!

As summer begins, and we revel in the sensory delights the season has to offer, it’s also an opportune time to reflect on the significance of planting seeds. It’s very easy to focus solely on the final stage of the fruit-bearing process – the harvest (or the fruit-eating!) – but the enjoyment of summer fruits is intricately tied to the sowing of seeds during the planting season.

As the farmers from the strawberry farm can attest, there are some crucial stages that must be carried out before the fruit is ready for consumption (digging, weeding, planting, watering, and fertilising, to name just a few).

Jesus told a parable in Mark 4:26-28: “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain – first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head.”

When it comes to the matter of bearing fruit, this parable very helpfully illustrates the part that we have to play and also the part that God has to play. We can’t do God’s part (it is God who brings the growth) but equally, God won’t do our part.

Notice that the man in Jesus’ parable planted seed. It sounds obvious, but nothing would have happened had he not planted the seed. This reminds me of when not too long ago I was clearing out my garage and stumbled upon a box of seed I had packed away two house moves prior. It won’t come as a surprise that this seed has been absolutely useless to me all these years – not because it was bad seed, but because seed needs to be sown, and I never planted it.

In the context of the parable in Mark 4, planting seed primarily means sharing the gospel with others. But the idea of planting seed extends into other areas too.

Seeds are the starting point for pretty much everything in life, from relationships to finances to health to personal growth.

We can also plant seeds of character, cultivating virtues such as kindness, patience, and forgiveness. In fact, every action we take, every word we speak, every thought we have, is a seed with the power to bring about growth. What seeds are you planting? We love the idea of a great harvest but if we want to be fruitful, we need to plant seeds. All too often we can fall into the trap of passively waiting on God to produce the fruit, forgetting that we have an important role to play in the process as well. In fact, God may well be waiting on us to take the first step – to plant that seed of faith, kindness, generosity, or whatever it may be.

Don’t just hope for harvest; in whatever area of your life in which you are believing God to make you fruitful, plant a seed! Whether it be in your relationships, your wellbeing, your finances, your job, or other aspects of your day-to-day walk as a disciple of Christ, the seeds you sow in this season determine the harvest you will reap in the next season. No planting means no fruit!

As we enjoy the beauty and delights of the summer season, determine to actively sow seeds of godly obedience, trusting that every seed you sow will contribute to an even more fruitful future. Plant the seed – and let God take care of the rest!

desouza Dominic De Souza is a member of Elim’s National Leadership Team and leads City Church Cardiff with his wife Catherine.