And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.We do our best, and are proud of our efforts, as they achieve more and more. But in the end, when the grain has grown miraculously into a flourishing plant, it is suddenly cut down to nothing. And that is good and proper, because the the grain was grown precisely in order to be cut down later, with the intention that most of it would be destroyed and only a little saved, and that for the sake of the farmer, not of the plant. And if the farmer wants to cut it down earlier, that is his right, and the plant should not complain that the world has thereby lost the chance for a wonderfully big stalk.
[ http://php.indiana.edu/~erasmuse/w/04.02.08b.htm . Erasmusen@yahoo.com. ]
To return to Eric Rasmusen's weblog, click http://php.indiana.edu/~erasmuse/w/0.rasmusen.htm.