Keep Planting, Even When You Don’t See Growth

I’m a city girl. I wouldn’t say I hate the countryside or farming, but it’s pretty low on my list of things I’d like to do in life. That said, I’ve always respected and admired the hard work involved in farming and gardening. My appreciation of it grew exponentially a few years ago when I started watching Clarkson’s Farm on Amazon Prime.

For those unfamiliar with the show, it follows a multi-millionaire TV presenter who decides to manage his farm after his farm manager retires. From the very beginning, it becomes abundantly clear that farmers are among the most hardworking, resilient, committed, and (I’d argue) patriotic individuals in any economy. They often operate with a limited workforce, under immense pressure from large wholesalers and retailers, and are entirely at the mercy of the weather.

Unlike many other professions, a farmer can do absolutely everything right to prepare for a harvest, yet yield no crop due to too much or too little rain. Despite this unpredictability, farmers return to the fields year after year. Not only do they come back—they bring their families with them. Farming is often a generational calling, worked on by children, parents, and grandparents.

Today’s passage reminds us that the Kingdom of God is like farming. Like a farmer, we plant seeds and work hard, yet we don’t truly understand how those seeds grow into a harvest. It’s not just our effort—sometimes we do everything “right,” and nothing sprouts. Other times, we labour the same way and experience a beautiful, abundant harvest. We try to analyse what we did differently, but the truth is: we don’t really know.

Our job is to be faithful like the farmer—plant the seeds, water them, and watch and wait. The growth and timing? That belongs to God. When the harvest comes, it will be in His perfect time and in His perfect way.

Questions for reflection: Am I planting seeds? Do I trust in my hard work, or do I trust in the Lord? Am I watching and waiting expectantly for the Lord’s harvest? Have I committed my seeds to the Lord in prayer?