I once heard a very wise preacher make an insightful but depressing observation about one of the most celebrated stories that Jesus ever told. The story is about a farmer who planted seed in four types of soil. At harvest time, some of the seeds produced fruit but others did not. However, Jesus did not attribute this lack of productivity to the seeds that were planted. He attributed this lack of productivity to the soil that the seeds were planted in. When his disciples asked him to explain the meaning of this story, Jesus said

“Study this story of the farmer planting seed. When anyone hears news of the kingdom and doesn’t take it in, it just remains on the surface, and so the Evil One comes along and plucks it right out of that person’s heart. This is the seed the farmer scatters on the road.

“The seed cast in the gravel—this is the person who hears and instantly responds with enthusiasm. But there is no soil of character, and so when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it.

“The seed cast in the weeds is the person who hears the kingdom news, but weeds of worry and illusions about getting more and wanting everything under the sun strangle what was heard, and nothing comes of it.

“The seed cast on good earth is the person who hears and takes in the News, and then produces a harvest beyond his wildest dreams.” (Matthew 13:18-23, MSG)

The preacher pointed out the easily overlooked fact that the farmer’s success rate wasn’t that high. I found that observation insightful because if you plant in four types of soil and only one type produces a harvest, then he’s right: your success rate is only 25% (One Productive Soil/Four Unproductive Soils). Another way of saying that is there is a high degree of probability that a lot of what we plant in life will not be productive. That is insightful. But it is also depressing! With odds like that, it is easy to understand why so many people decide not to plant their time, energy, or efforts in relationships, projects, or systems. After all, the chances are that you will only succeed 25% of the time. Or to put it differently, the failure rate is 75%. Sheesh.

But while it is true that what you plant may not produce on the level you expect , it is also true that not planting at all is a recipe for failure. If you do plant, you may only succeed 25% of the time. But if you don’t plant, you will fail 100% of the time. Why? Because God has structured the universe to respond to the law of sowing and reaping. In Galatians 6:7, the Bible says “be not deceived. God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap.” You cannot expect to reap if you have not sown. You cannot reap something if you have planted nothing. But if you do sow, you may only get a 25% return on your investment.

The wise preacher went on to say that when you sow and are disappointed with what you reap, the solution is not to stop sowing. The solution is to find new soil! The issue is rarely the seed. It’s almost always the soil.

Your seed represents your gifts, talents, skills, abilities, dreams and ideas. Your soil represents your environment. And many of us are not as productive as we could be because we are planting our seed in the wrong environment. I have learned that everything doesn’t grow everywhere. It is so easy to get frustrated because of the lack of results that we may be experiencing in our current environment—so frustrated that we begin to think that there is something wrong with our seed. This frustration can lead to the decision to stop sowing—to stop planting—to stop sharing our dreams, offering our ideas, using our talents, pursuing our dreams, and expressing our gifts. But remember: the failure rate of all planters is 75%! The issue is rarely with your seed. The issue is usually with the soil you are planting your seed in.

You may currently feel defeated, unfulfilled, ,or angry that what you have planted is not producing more results. You may even feel tempted to stop sowing altogether. But refuse to allow the enemy to control your thoughts, infect your spirit, or arrest your will. God is calling you to find new people and new projects and new places to start sowing your seed!