Leave it to God

In late March I planted grass seed in some of the bare spots of my backyard. I never planted grass seed before so I was willing to try anything that wasn't too expensive. I bought a couple bags of grass seed mixed with fertilizer, a couple of giant carpet things that you supposedly just roll out to grow grass, some top soil, and some peat moss. After I got all that stuff down I realized I didn't have enough to cover all the bare areas (yes, my backyard is that bad) so I went back to the store and bought just a plain old bag of "sun/shade mix" grass seed.

Well wouldn't you know by the next day the temperatures were falling below freezing again, which prevented me from watering the way I was supposed to. (The instructions of every type of seed thing I bought all emphasized the importance of watering several times daily.) Then a week later my family went away on vacation for seven days so it wouldn't get watered at all. I figured the whole thing was ruined... a waste of about $70.

Now, after a month I'm proud to report that I have grass. I take no credit for this good news. Despite my bumbling and ignorance I have grass. However, I do feel a little wiser when it comes to whole planting grass game. That seed-fertilizer mix stuff is not great. Where I used that stuff the grass is growing thinly... like a 35 year-old a few years away from complete baldness. The green carpet stuff is worthless. Enough said. But the places where I planted just straight seed are looking plush and oh so green.

Jesus' parable about the farmer sowing seed on different types of soil is one of my favorites in the Gospels. I cannot even look at a bag of salted sunflower seeds without thinking of that parable. Imagine what I was thinking when I actually was sowing grass seed. What I take from Jesus' story I also take from the whole grass seed growing experience. Just throw the seeds and let God do the rest. Carpet gimmicks or an over abundance of fertilizer just cloud the issue. Seed, soil, water, and sun are the essentials. And even if I go a week without watering, God can still make life happen.

As a disciple for Christ I share God's Word with others. No need for gimmicks or tricks. Just God's Word and little care are all that is necessary. God will do the rest. My bumbling and ignorance cannot prevent God from doing his stuff. So I'll do the best I can.