Each morning, almost without fail, my seven year old is my alarm clock. It has been this way for years. I assume it will continue this way until he hits middle school if the pattern of past children is any indication. This means that while I am still coming out of whatever dream I’ve been living and well before I’ve had the one cup of coffee that fuels my morning brain, he begins to chatter. Topics may include questions about the Titanic, what kind of plane we’re traveling on this Spring Break, when we get to travel on a train or ship (not in the near future), and sometimes he simply wants to be fed. Lord, first Coffee!
Yesterday, I was listening to him prattle on while scrolling a facebook article about the sitcom Friends. I figured I could still mostly pay attention to what he was saying while reading about “Little Known Facts.” Maybe it’s not a proud mommy moment, but I’m keeping it real. He asked a question about our UNO game the night before and I asked him to repeat it, knowing full well I didn’t catch the last part. He repeated the question and I answered. At exactly the same time he said, “NOOO!” Hubby turned from his morning computer work to state, “You didn’t hear a word he said.” Oops. I put down the phone scrolling and started to pay attention. I also told Ezra we’d better get Mommy some coffee.
How often do we do this same thing with the word of God? Maybe we kind of listen, thinking we’re getting most of it, but really still preoccupied with our own views of life swirling around us? Half of our brain is engaged in the attempt at intimacy with our creator, while the other half makes lists, reads emails, reviews conversations, and wonders about the next trouble that may befall us. Maybe just me? Either way, I’ll be honest in that sometimes it is a struggle more than I would like it to be.
In the book of Matthew, in chapter 13, Jesus tells the parable of the sower who plants seeds in different kinds of soils. The seeds represent the message of God. In the rocky soil, seeds were able to grow, but “when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root” (Matthew 13:6). Seeds among thorns were choked, and seeds among good soil “produced a crop - a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown” (Matt. 13:8). Then Jesus said, “He who has ears, let him hear” (Matt. 9).
I sure don’t want to be the person in the crowd scrolling Facebook when Jesus says that.
I can’t be too hard on myself, though, even the disciples need a clearer explanation, and as his chosen twelve they were given one:
“The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest…” (Matthew 13: 20-22).
This parable brings to mind one of my own. It reminds me of teaching a class of students. Some have their earbuds in (even when they shouldn’t) and really do not hear what is being taught. Others seem to be listening, but don’t do the practice work and forget the information given soon after. Some practice, but let middle school drama and life get in the way, forgetting to turn in the assignment and falling behind. Lastly are the students who listen, practice, and see the unit all the way through to completion of a good final grade. I’m quite familiar with the idea of teaching something to those who seem to listen, but do not have ears to hear. It’s so frustrating! But I keep trying anyway. Is God frustrated with us sometimes? Thank goodness he keeps trying.
How often do we hear the message, take it in, and yet not really seal it to our minds or hearts or put it into practice? It is easy on some days to be impassioned by a good Sunday sermon and then get swept away by life, to be a “seed among the thorns.” I know this sounds like me on many occasions. I don’t want this to be my default setting, though.
Because we so often have the habit of listening, but not LISTENING and hearing, but not HEARING we cannot be dependent on others to feed us the word of God. We, ourselves must dig in. This was not more apparent than today when we were filled to the brim with an inspiring talk from our pastor, one that is actually helping me put the final pieces together in this writing, and then came home to have everything feel like it was falling apart. The smallest of the children had a massive tantrum complete with bad words, Mommy threatened in no uncertain terms, the muffins for Monday breakfast burned, and I cried about all of it. Sheesh. Hubby pointed out that, “Isn’t that just the way of it? The week is already hitting us with what it’s got.” To get centered, I had to come back to this writing and my bible study corner.
To continually re-center, I dedicate every morning that I can, most but not all, to reading The Word. I listen to HEAR, and read to LEARN. Jesus spoke in parables that people of his time would understand. The situations and illustrations he used were applicable to their lives. We can apply his words to our lives today as well. Asking the Holy Spirit to help make Bible Wisdom personal keeps us on the path to writing God’s message on our hearts so that a spoken word or morning devotion remains etched in our being, not easily discarded or choked out by worries and stress.
I can only hope that at the end of the day, or better yet in the middle of it, I take a moment to breathe and acknowledge the Spirit that walks with me. Sometimes I can only imagine I’m being carried instead. I don’t want my soil to be thorny. I want to be the good soil. Even more, I want to help create good soil for others! I want the message and the peace to dig so deep that on those thorny days I’m not choked out by weeds, but can weather through until the gardener clears them away.
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