Solid Ground
What type of ground is best?
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!” - Matthew 13:1-9
Every type of ground is good for something.
The hard path is great for walking or carrying a heavy load.
The rocky ground makes a solid foundation for building.
The thorny ground makes a great hedge to keep out pests and neighbors.
And the rich soil is what we need to make things grow.
Jesus was talking about spreading the Word, and it is clear that he wants it to take hold and grow. He is not building a building or setting out on a path or looking to divide with a hedge of thorny rules.
He is looking to grow the message to reach everyone who comes in contact with it.
When we build something, we have plans. Every one of the building blocks needs to be placed according to the design and plans or the building may not stand.
When we plant seeds, we give them space to grow. The plan is inside them. We don't need to be precise in where we put each one. Wherever they are, they will start to germinate.
With planting, more is left to nature and chance.
We go on faith, believing in the process, trusting there will be enough water and nutrients to help the plant mature and produce fruit.
Maybe Jesus wants us to be less controlling and more trusting in God.
Maybe we need to see what grows from our work and not try to make the outcomes fit our plan.
More to come...