Done With Seed-Planting

I'd be okay if I never had to hear this statement again: "At least we planted some seeds."

Don't get me wrong - it's a perfectly acceptable way to look back on our ministry efforts.  But my fear is that "planting seeds" will be used as an excuse to be content with failure.

After all, didn't Jesus say, "The harvest is rich"?  Of course, he never said the harvest is easy.

There's another danger in being content with seed-planting in that it shifts the blame.  I can sit back and say, "I did everything right, they just weren't open to it."  What if, instead, we viewed it as our job to help these become more open?

If you're not seeing fruit, why not take the risk of making changes?  What's the worst that could happen - you look back at it and say, "At least we planted some seeds"?