Sometimes The Cornfield Dies

I was incredibly disappointed to be told that there would be no corn maze this year. Every October it is a local activity that I look forward to with great enthusiasm. There is nothing quite like the smell of the hay and a slight breeze blowing through the impenetrable walls of corn as you stumble through dark pathways at night with your friends for a few hours. Though it isn't the best photo, I still look at that shot above with fond memories of last fall.

From what I was told, the city planted a whole field, but what little of it grew ended up dying because the conditions just weren't right for it this season. I had to pause after receiving that information; the story is all too familiar...

"He [Jesus] told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.” - Matthew 13:3-9

This parable is about evangelism- telling others about the person and work of Christ. Somehow we tend to get the idea that we do not succeed in our evangelism unless the person says a prayer and is converted. The thing is, causing people to get saved isn't fully on our shoulders- yes, we should tell others about Christ; we are His chosen means of spreading the word (Mark 16:15), however God is the one who saves (1 Corinthians 1:19). We are just in charge of "sowing the seeds", as the parable puts it; the results of our efforts are up to God.

Don't get discouraged if people don't believe in God right away after a conversation with you- pray for them, befriend them, keep good conversation going, and leave the rest to God. He will save His chosen ones in His timing, whether you are around to see the end result or not. Perhaps He will use you and you will never know- it's that element of not knowing that keeps us humble.