On planting and reaping

Thy kingdom come....

This is our vision---but all we have to work with is a seed.  Like Johnny Appleseed, we go about planting the smallest of seeds everywhere, while in our minds, we see a flourishing kingdom---we see great trees bearing wonderful fruit--peace, joy, thanksgiving, goodness, acknowledgement of the Father in heaven, contentment and good will on earth. 

Like Johnny Appleseed, we do not get to watch the seeds grow, nor even to know whether they sprouted at all.  We plant a seed and move on, leaving the growth to God, Who makes all things grow in their own time.  As St. Paul said, "Neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything---it is God who gives the growth."  And we must acknowledge with Jesus the parable of the sower:  not all soil is prepared to receive and nourish the seed falling on it.

Still, we pray, "Thy kingdom come..."  and still, we agonize over every seed, watching for signs of growth.  But Ecclesiastes tells us that we cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things, so we must "sow [our] seed in the morning, and at evening, and let not [our] hands be idle, for we do not know which will succeed or whether both will do equally well" (Ecc. 11)