By Jessica Brodie
Have you ever read the Parable of the Sower in the Bible and thought in that quiet, uncomfortable corner of your heart—I’m probably not very good soil?
I certainly have. And on my own, perhaps that’s true. I’m probably not good soil. Thank God I have a Lord and savior who irons out my messy edges and makes me right with him.
It’s on my mind this week because I’ve started going back to the gym. Fitness is important to me, but I’ve gotten off track with weightlifting these last several years. I’m not in my twenties anymore, but I want to have good muscles and not feel weak and out of shape physically. I want to be strong.
Still, in spite of this want, it’s hard to get up at six a.m. to head to the gym before work, especially when I’m exhausted and sore from the previous day’s workout. It’s hard to push myself to keep doing the hard things, to keep pressing on.
This morning, I forced myself out of bed with great reluctance. What finally propelled me was the knowledge: Muscles take work, and I have to put in the work if I want to see results. Muscles don’t just happen on their own.
Truthfully, if you think about it, little really happens on its own.
This ties in with my faith journey, too. Even though I did nothing to earn my salvation other than repent and believe with all my heart (as we know salvation is a gift from God, not something that can be earned), it still took work to get to where I am spiritually.
While the Holy Spirit gives me discernment and understanding, wisdom I couldn’t possibly develop on my own, a lot of where I am spiritually is because I chose to make Jesus Christ the Lord of my life. I chose to read the Bible daily and tuck his word deep into my soul. I chose to get up and go to church, to soak in the sermons, sing the songs, and worship with other believers. I chose to turn to God in prayer and not lean on my own understanding.
Just like my biceps and quadriceps need consistent daily and concentrated toning to reach their full potential, my soul needs consistent daily, concentrated care to be in full alignment with the Lord. I can’t just expect to be completely right with God without putting in any effort on my part. I have to do the work to craft a strong foundation. God does the saving, but I have a role to play as well.
This circles back to the Parable of the Sower. In Matthew 13:3-23, Jesus tells us how a farmer scattered his seed. Some of the seed fell on the path, some fell on rocky soil, and some fell into soil filled with thorns. No crop came out of any of these. But other seed fell into good soil and was able to grow and thrive and multiply.
That seed is God’s word. We don’t want the soil of our lives to be shallow, rocky, or thorny but rather good soil, the kind that produces from the seed a bountiful crop for the kingdom.
On my own, the soil of my life can be shallow or thorny. Without proper attention and intentionality, the soil of my life might not be good soil.
But with the work I do spiritually, I’m striving to remove the thorns and the rocks from my soil, so that God’s word is able to grow and thrive and multiply not only in my life, but in the world around me.
I do this because I love God. But I know the truth: I love because God first loved me (1 John 4:19).
In Philippians 3:12-14, the apostle Paul wrote that he keeps pressing on in faith, keeping his mind set on heaven. That is our task as well.
Do what you can, every day, to cultivate good soil in your life. And remember: A strong foundation takes work, but we can do it.
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