CHAPTER 17
Sowing Seeds in All Seasons
Life is not just a few years to spend in self-
indulgence and career advancement. It is a
privilege, a responsibility, a stewardship to be
lived according to a much higher calling.
ELIZABETH DOLELeaders cannot avoid it. For good or ill, they are sowing seeds
everywhere they go, in everything they do. A kind word, a clear
insight, a visit to the hospital, a bold stance on a murky issue. A
leader’s every action has consequences both intended and unin-
tended. People are like plowed ground; seeds find the soil of
minds and emotions, sprouting powerful changes. Who knows
the results? Tiny seeds can produce sturdy trees or nourishing
grains or delicate flowers.
We all know, however, that sowing good seed is often hard,
tedious work. It means being consistent, maintaining at all times
our integrity, our focus, our faith. Sometimes we’re tempted to
drop a few burr and thistle seeds—a curt response, an avoidance,
a lapse into just a bit of self-indulgence, or to go “off-message.”
We may long to escape the necessity of always being “on,” of day
after day, year after year following through on all our commit-
ments to those who look at our every word and action.
At times, we simply want to escape.
However, there’s a far better solution—recovery. The Bible says
we should “not be weary in well doing,” but that does not mean
we should become work drudges. We are invited to serve with