The coldest months of winter in Colorado don’t yield much yard work. This time of year leans more towards snowblower than leaf blower. But a passage of Scripture reminded me of a practice I enjoy every spring.

Jesus said, The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.

When the weather warms and the ground thaws next spring, I’ll give attention to my lawn. Raking, watering, and sowing grass seed. I over-seed large parts of the yard where the grass is thinning. I try to keep the grass seed contained, but some always falls into my planting beds. In an ironic twist I often get a nice stand of grass where I don’t want it. But so goes the practice of sowing good seed. It takes root and sprouts wherever it lands.

Jesus tells us the kingdom of God grows in the same way. The sowers (you and me) spread the seed—the good news of the kingdom—and let it fall where it may. We never know how the seed may sprout and grow—that mysterious work remains in God’s hand. We also don’t know whose heart might prove fertile soil. I’ve been surprised more than once by a person embracing the faith who I considered beyond the pale.

I sow without worrying about results. In small ways I express my beliefs and let people know I follow Jesus. I offer to pray for others and genuinely follow-through. Random conversations sometimes allow me to speak of my faith. Even saying bless you to a sneeze in the grocery store feels like a radical act of connection these days. No matter what you hear, people need Jesus. Don’t be afraid to sow some seeds.

Mark 4:26-29

Photo by Mikołaj