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. Matthew 13:22 (NLT)

To Heal a Heart – The Seed Series – Part 6

Go to PART 1  |  PART 2  |  PART 3  |  PART 4  |  PART 5  |  PART 6  |  PART 7

Thorns are 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 all the signs of life and vitality.

Our big beautiful world is plagued with thorns: consumerism and greed plagues and prickles as it has its run of the house. We’re taught to sure up our bets, border up our lands, and keep our wealth to ourselves. Wrap ourselves in insurance and conserve our hearts in bubblewrap. We’re very quick to protect what's ours even at the expense of destroying what was someone else’s. Better someone else experiences the sharpness of life than yourself.

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, be radically generous and aggressively gracious. These are not sharp-edged weapons designed to conquer by harm and elimination.

They are the tools of connection; strong and soft and smooth… things you can get close to.

Within the soil held hostage by thorns and weeds lies the potential for life. It may be bloodied and bruised, isolated and indignant, prideful and hesitant. But see these things for what they are: coping mechanisms of a heart hardened by a sharp and thorny life.

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.”

The beautiful thing about this parable is that farmer sowed seed even amongst the thorns. In places where it seemed the only thing that could happen to those seeds would be death, he generously and graciously gave of himself and planted Kingdom seed.

The only way to heal a heart ravaged by thorns, so much so that it has begun to grow them itself, is to get close. I’m so thankful that through it all, the Divine Source of Everything has always stayed close to me. Thorns and all. And it's that closeness, the radical vulnerability of God, that has healed me every time and worn away my thorns into vines.

Go to The Possibility of Growth – The Seed Series – Part 7

Written by Liz Milani
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