Wednesday, January 29, 2020

What kind of soil?

"And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky ground where it had little soil...Some seed fell among the thorns...and some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit."
Mark 4:4-8

As I sat pondering this, I wondered just what kind of soil I would be today. I believe that we aren't always the same kind of soil; some days we may be thorny, and other days, we may be richer. It isn't a one-and-done deal. I think God sends us seed all day and how we receive it and act on it changes. I may be tired and impatient one day and that certainly makes me less receptive to subtle messages from God. God's message can't take root in crabby soil! Some days I may be too caught up in what's going on around me. The news can give me a thorny edge, that's for sure, and God's rather wasting time trying to teach me anything those days. (Thankfully, our God is a very generous sower and still flings the seed out with abandon!) Some days, the message may get through quickly and easily and start to take root, but by the end of the day I've lost it and my zeal has waned.  Still other days, I spend quiet time with God, praying for guidance as to what I'm to do for God throughout the day. I sense God's nudging and the message falls on rich soil in my heart. I am able to remember and act on it through the day, hopefully, producing fruit. The quiet of my heart is the richest soil for God's message. Overly saturating myself with all the things that bother me but I cannot change leaves me depleted and closed off to what God empowers me to do. Today, as we inch our way through the last days of January, let's be aware of sensing the nudgings of God through our day. Let's commit to being rich, fertile soil for God's word to take root and thrive in us, producing beautiful fruit for the world! Love, heidi