When the wind blows, the seeds take flight, and the destination is determined by the direction of the wind. The result is that the seed may fall in another person’s yard. It may grow and produce a harvest of its own, such as more lettuce. If the plant is left for the whole season, it can again make its own seeds, and these can be taken by the wind yet farther.
In much the same way, a soul can reap harvests for many years even after it is no longer on earth. One can think of parents. They sow the seeds of love and faith in the hearts of their children. The parents also may use the gifts God has given them to show kindness and love to their neighbor. The effects of this may bring others to do acts of love and kindness and to witness faith in the way they observed it in the original parents. Thus when the original parents are gone, a harvest for the Lord may persist from the original seeds that were given to the parents.
Jesus states, “It was not you who chose Me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in My Name He may give you. This I command you: love one another” (Jn 15:16-17). Thus one can see that the expectation God has is not unreasonable. If we nourish the seeds God gives us with prayer and we do not hide our light under a bushel (cf. Mt 5:15), then in a beautiful way we may play a part in a harvest that will remain.