“So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.”        – 1 Corinthians 3:7

The current mantra for the Philadelphia 76er’s basketball team is “Trust the Process.” They believe that if they consistently focus on making good decisions and doing the right things, good outcomes will follow. Conversely, if they become preoccupied with outcomes—especially short-term failure—they won’t address the root causes of that failure, and nothing will ever change.

Christians need to trust the process. I’m afraid we sometimes become disheartened by outcomes—a congregation’s size, attendance trends, or number of baptisms. Instead, we need to focus on praying, meditating on God’s Word, loving our neighbors, evangelizing, and striving to live more like Jesus. When we work on those foundational aspects of Christianity, good outcomes usually follow.

I’m part of a weekly prison ministry. Prior to this past summer, we had talked to more than a thousand prisoners over six years. We’d told them about Jesus and invited them to worship with us upon their release. No one ever did. We taught and hopefully encouraged struggling men, but that hadn’t translated into a tangible outcome. It was easy to ask, “Are we making any difference?”

That all changed in the summer of 2022. One inmate who had faithfully attended our classes was released from prison and decided to pay our congregation a visit. For someone who hadn’t stepped foot inside a church building for several years, this was a bold step. We studied with him some more, and he was baptized into Christ. He’s turned his life around and now attends regularly. Praise God!

Since then, four other former prisoners have visited and two are regulars. We’re working with each of them to address reintegration needs and, more importantly, spiritual needs. After watching us plant over a thousand seeds over six years, God brought forth a harvest in His perfect timing. In retrospect, I’m so thankful we didn’t give up on the ministry due to a perceived lack of success.

Trusting the process brings peace. We let go and let God. We learn to develop patience, knowing that some harvests take longer than others. As Robert Louis Stevenson put it, “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” The note from the margin reads: Seed-planting is process. The outcome—the harvest—belongs to God.