Ready the Ground 1

Matthew 13:3-4

There have been several occasions when Peggy and I have attended a banquet or reception where there is a great deal of nice food. Often I will return to the table with a plate of food only to discover my wife has something really delicious on her plate, something I did not get. In these cases I will ask where those particular items were and she points them out, but by the time I get up to the serving table the good stuff is all gone.

It can be very frustrating to miss out on something really good. And what makes it worse is the fact that I just wasn’t attentive enough to see the good stuff.

Today’s passage is the beginning of a parable from Jesus. What is happening in the story? Where does some of the seed fall? What happens to it?

Often times when this parable is preached the focus seems to be on the seed and the farmer. But it has been pointed out that the focus of the parable is neither the farmer nor the seed. The focus is on the ground.

In the parable God is the farmer scattering the seed of love and grace. We are the ground. And so, the question arises, what type of ground are we?

The first ground presented in the parable is the ground of a path. It is hard ground, dirt which has been trampled under foot and walked all over. Because of this nothing can easily penetrate the surface, and thus the seeds of love are taken away.

We may find ourselves having a heart as hard as the path in the story. We may feel that life has walked all over us, or other people have walked all over us, taking advantage and using us. We have been hurt. We become hard. We refuse to allow anything to penetrate our hard, outer shell.

But when we do that we are missing out on the blessings of God. If we go through life with arms crossed and ears stopped up so that we don’t have to listen to what is being said, we miss out on the generous love God sows for us.

Is your heart like the hard path? If you have been hurt or you feel that you must protect yourself from further hurt, you may need to soften your heart, open your soul and your mind to the blessings God offers.

DAILY CHALLENGE: How can you soften your heart so that it is ready to receive God’s grace?