Last year I seeded our new lawn, with mixed results. The grass came up, but the hot, dry weather was hard on it, and the crabgrass took over. Now, I am looking at a brown patch of ground that offers little promise of becoming a lush, green lawn in the coming weeks.

I recently scattered some more seed on the yard, hoping that it would work its way into the soil, perhaps with the help of some rain or snow. What will become of it remains to be seen. I have done what I can; now I just sit back and wait.

The same principle holds true with the seed of God’s Word. We scatter it out there on the hearts of the people we want to bless. Sometimes it falls on fertile ground; other times it lands on hard soil. We have very little control over how people respond to the Word. We speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15) and pray for the best.

“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.”—1 Corinthians 3:6.