I attended a beginner’s indoor rock climbing class last night, and I really wanted to write about it because, I mean, come-on, it’s indoor rock climbing! But I couldn’t figure out how to other than to tell you about it :) So there you go. Now we’re both happy.
Speaking of happy, happy February! Today I started a new devotional and for day one, it offered a lot to think about. Today’s reading focused on Luke 8:4-15, or the parable of the sower. I think Jesus is trying to say that when we accept Christ, we end up in four different types of places:
- the path: the ones who hear and then don’t believe
- the rock: the ones who hear and are excited, but have no root
- the thorn: the ones who hear, but go about their lives and are choked by worrisome things
- the soil: the ones who hear and are able to flourish
That’s a really interesting picture, but as I was mulling this over in my head, I began to think of a different illustration. What if we happen to hop around different places depending on the condition of our hearts? Somedays we might be in the good soil, ready to eat up all the nutrients that it makes up, while other days, we’re in the rocks, crushed by all the lies around us.
And if that’s true, then today I’m neither of those. Today I am stuck in the thorny soil. I imagine trying to move and am instead being choked back by my fears and worries. The ones that deal with tomorrow and things I can’t see. Where do I go after I graduate? What happens if I can’t handle this insane upcoming semester? What in the world am I supposed to do with my life?!
And maybe that’s it. The good soil focuses on the now and uses big prayers. The kind that we can only see when we’re in places that allow us to see past ourselves. The pokey, rocky, thorny places focuses on the things we can’t control, focusing only on ourselves. In those places, we only pray small, selfish prayers. And our prayers are a reflection of the God we believe in.
So maybe that’s where the “cultivate my heart” thing comes from. I don’t know a lot about planting, but I imagine that it’s not good for the plant to be moved suddenly. There’s probably a some sort of transition. And that’s okay because when we try to control our lives, we end up in the wrong places. When we allow God to take charge of the little (and big) things in our lives, we can be transitioned into the richest parts of the soil.
I don’t want to be stuck here in the choking thorns forever. And I don’t think God wants me to be either.
:)