“A prudent man keeps his knowledge to himself, but the heart of the fool blurts out folly.” --Proverbs 12:23
When I was in fourth grade, we moved to a new house in a subdivision. The front and back yards were not seeded nor sodded. After we had been in the house for a while, my dad decided it was time to work on the front yard. He hired me to pick up dirt clods and rocks at the rate of twenty-five cents an hour. Then I helped him rake the soil out evenly. He put the seed in the spreader and walked back and forth, back and forth, the width of the yard to scatter the grass seed. Then he proceeded to do something I have not seen before or since; he placed squares of burlap on top of the seed and nailed each corner securely into the ground.
Our neighbors came by, stopped and asked my dad what he was doing. They scratched their heads and wondered if my dad had lost his. Our front yard looked like a tan patchwork quilt. I even had a couple of my friends ask me about it. My dad took the questions, jokes and criticism in stride, saying little, knowing he was doing the right thing.
After a week or so, the grass had begun to grow up through the burlap pieces. One day as my sisters and I were released from school and started walking home, a torrential rain started, soaking us to the skin as we ran as fast as we could to the house. It probably rained a couple of inches as small rivulets ran through our yard and into the street. The burlap stayed in place and the tiny blades of grass held on tight. After the storm passed and the sun came out, it appeared the grass had grown a tad more with the soaking.
The neighbors realized my dad’s wisdom and never tried to provoke him again. The burlap eventually rotted away. Later that spring, we had the nicest front yard on the street, a dense green carpet! I have always fondly remembered my dad’s tenacity to follow through with a plan that was questioned by all and ridiculed by a few.
Is there something you desire to do, but are holding back for fear of criticism? Trust in the plan that God has placed on your heart. God will see you through and you will be blessed with His favor.