A biographer of the Duke of Windsor, Alistair Cooke, remarks, "The Duke was at his best when the going was good." Aren't we all? Is that true of your faith? We believe in God when things are going well, but give us a few problems, a disappointment or two, and we begin to doubt.

But the parable is saying to us: God is in charge of the harvest, hang in there, because things will work out in God's way and in God's time. Our faith cannot depend just on the good times and good health.

It just may be that our theology is like that of director/actor Woody Allen, who accuses God of being an underachiever. He writes, "I would believe, if only God would give me a clear sign, like making a large deposit in my name in a Swiss bank."

Jesus says that the signs are not always clear, especially in the beginning. It is finally not for us to determine God's will. It is, however, our task to do the right thing as we know it given our limited perceptions. Jesus himself is the Good News: even the agony of the deception, denial and betrayal of some of his best friends, the wondering if God had forsaken him, and the humiliation of the cross did not keep him from saying finally, "Unto thee I commit my life."