As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. Matthew 13:20-21 (NLT)
Full of Stones – Truth and Seeds Series – Part 5
Go to PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4 | PART 5 | PART 6
Have you ever heard a great, big, beautiful idea and gotten passionate about it, only to get a short time into turning that idea into a reality when you realize how hard it is, and you give up? I have done that SO MANY TIMES!
A stony heart will do that to you. There’s great soil, and the seed of new ideas, new ways of being in the world, new hope and joy and more, find their way in. But the rocks, or lack of discipline, lack of energy and endurance, don’t give the seeds room to grow. As soon as the going gets hard, as soon as obstacles appear – an old addiction flares up, fear returns, past hurts dig deep and bite down hard – it’s easier to give up than to keep on going.
Having a heart full of stones is like being sealed in a tomb alive – it contains the potential of life, but needs that big old stone blocking the entrance to be rolled away.
And sometimes, we have to pay attention to those rocks.
I’ve mentioned before that I’ve been slowly coming out of adrenalin fatigue for a couple of years now. There have been ideas and new things and opportunities I have wanted to engage in, but I physically lack the ability to see them all the way through. I must listen to my body. I must pay attention to the rocks… find out where they are, and work steadily, with great care and grace, to remove them.
Sometimes that takes rest. Sometimes that takes great risk. Sometimes that takes courage and change.
“As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.” Matt 13:22.
Thorns, like the sharp stabs of worry, or the burning need for more than you have; the knife edge of anxiety and the small, innumerable cuts that greed inflicts upon the soul, choking away the life that springs from the joy and freedom of God’s love.
Our big beautiful world is plagued with thorns: consumerism and greed. We’re taught to sure up our bets, border up our lands, and keep our wealth to ourselves. We’re very quick to protect what's ours even at the expense of destroying what was someone else's.
Thorns.
It's difficult for “kingdom” seeds to flourish amongst thorns. Love your enemy, pray for those who curse you, make sure the vulnerable are protected and the weak cared for; empathy, vulnerability, community, forgiveness, and compassion; all too quickly choked by the thorns of empire and “me-first” consumeristic values.
But underneath it all – the well-worn path, the soil full of stones, and the soil held hostage by thorns and weeds – lies the potential for life. It is there in us all, in it all. No matter what a human life looks like on the surface, there is always hope underneath. The good soil that welcomes the seed, the words of God, and nurtures it as it grows, is present in all our lives.
Some of us just need the Sower to turn our soil over and over and over… until it is free.
In her book, Grounded: Finding God in the World-A Spiritual Revolution, Diana Butler Bass said:
“The biblical narrative is that of a God who comes close, compelled by a burning desire to make heaven on earth and occupy human hearts.”
Got some stones you need to gently remove from your heart and life? We'd love to hear your experience in the comments below
Go to Part 6 – He Sows Relentlessly »
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