“Listen! A farmer decided to sow some grain….” – Mark 4:3
In the gospel of Mark, we hear Jesus share a parable about seeds that land in different soils. I want to be the rich soil that accepts the word and produced abundant fruit – thirty and sixty and a hundredfold. Every time I read this parable, I desperately want to be the fertile soil, but I also have to admit that I am not. I see the need to till the soil of my heart. I envision rich, moist, chocolatey brown soil being turned and sifted by strong hands of Jesus as seeds are spread and gently pressed into the ground. Moments of tender caring are often followed by needless neglect – at my own hands.
Seasons and soil
Growing up in Peru, just a few degrees from the equator, I didn’t experience the four seasons of the year the same way as I do now. My husband, John, loves to check the weather in locations where we have family and has noted that there seem to be two seasons where I grew up – summer where the daily temperature ranges from about 70 to mid-80s, and not-summer when the range is 60 to mid-70s. While the weather and sunshine hours feel very different for anyone living there, the reality is that the climate allows for much longer growing seasons. I never saw hard, ice-crusted, snow-covered, dead ground where one must continue to trust and believe that life will once again spring from it.
Regardless of your position on climate change, we can all agree that in our lifetime we’ve seen years with “normal” seasons where the ground hardens and softens the way we learned in school, including time to plant and time to harvest the conventional crops. We’ve seen other years where hot weather and lack of rain have inflicted severe droughts on the soil, preventing plants from growing or producing fruit. Just as devastating is the years with extreme flooding that wash away the crops and the promises of fruit not yet delivered. The environment and climate directly impact the quality of the soil, the growth of plants, and the abundance of fruit.
Seasons and the soil of our heart
The parallels to my life are not lost on me. As a child, I lived in two “seasons” also. A season of warm, sunny, where life seems to bloom. And a second season where it felt chillier but never life ending. I lived with the belief that tomorrow the sun will be back and all will be well. I miss those days. As an adult, I’ve experienced not only all four seasons but also extremes within them. Times of abundant growth, times of burning thirst and dryness, times flooded with tears.
As Jesus shares the parable we read in Mark, he first describes the seeds that land on the path. The seeds fall on hardened soil only to be picked up by birds, never even entering the ground for a chance of growth. He later explains this as the hardened hearts that hear the word of God, but Satan comes at once to try and make them forget it. The word is lost. Next, he describes the rocky ground where the plant grew fast but died in shallow soil with no nourishment. He explains this shallow soil as the heart of those who hear the message with joy, but quickly wilt when persecution begins. Then comes the thorny ground where young plants are crowded out by spiny shoots. These are the hearts of people who genuinely listen to the word, receive it but all to quickly are distracted by lure and attraction of worldly things so much that God’s message in their hearts is there but produces no fruit. Lastly is the good soil we all crave to be! The good soil is the heart of those who accept the word, who fully recognize the word, and undistracted produce a plentiful harvest for God.
The places and events of our lives are like the environment and climate that impact the quality of the soil for growing plants. During trying times when we feel uncared for and unheard, we may question how good God is. Turn our back in frustration. In essence hardening the soil of our hearts and inviting Satan to pick up the seeds and almost convince us that there was never seeds, and growth, and abundance. During times of hope, anticipation, and excitement over something good we know is just about to happen, we are the shallow soil. In the enthusiasm, our positivity is palatable as we till our topsoil and invite God in. But the depth of the ground is measured by the degree of our joy at the moment. When things aren’t quite as we had hoped, our faith in the word wilts like the plants that aren’t nourished.
Oh, the thorny ground. I genuinely believe this is where a lot of us, as mothers and wives, spend way too much time. We are eager to let the seed grow, but feel the constant suffocation of the world around us. We are Mama Bears, striving to meet the needs of those we love, while torn into so many different directions. School papers, doctor appointments, dentist visits, grocery shopping, meal planning, nudging for homework to be done, late night projects, more events, more homework, more, and so much cleaning. And as if there weren’t enough we are constantly bombarded with reminders, alerts, phone calls, text messages, news flashes, and so on. Often without realizing we reach the end of the day and collapse into bed, forgetting to tend to the soil and nourish the seeds growing in our hearts. We were distracted by the thorns.
Is the world our thorn?
No! The world is not our thorn. What we allow from the world to grow in the soil of our hearts are the thorns. Jesus said, “the attractions of this world and the delights of wealth, and the search for success and lure of nice things come in and crowd out God’s message…”. We are Mamas, as such, we do have responsibilities and priorities that must be taken care of every single day – there is no giving that up. We have responsibilities and priorities outside of our homes – there is no giving that up either. We live in a world that requires us to do, and ignoring our responsibilities endowed by God is not caring for what grows in our hearts and our lives.
The greenhouse effect.
In my mid-teens, I had the opportunity to go to school in Wales for two years. The climate was harshly different than what I grew up in. I learned much in those two years, not just about the weather, but also about life. On campus, I found a greenhouse. Not having experienced one growing up, I was surprised when I stepped in, and the temperature was notably different. Despite the harshness of the cold, damp day outside, I was able to peel my jacket off and embrace a moist warmth as I walked up and down examining the plants and the different stages of growth. That greenhouse became one of my many hiding spots when I just needed a moment to escape the pressures of the outside environment and find peace and warmth required to flourish.
Factually speaking I do not have a green thumb. I lack patience and skill. Any plant under my care requires a super strong will to live to endure the times of overwatering, underwatering, too much sun, and too little sun. Reality is, I lack a natural green thumb when it comes to nurturing and growing the seeds that Jesus has planted in my heart. For these seeds to take root, grow, and produce fruit, I must provide them with the safe environment of a greenhouse.
A greenhouse allows plants to grow year round regardless of the weather outside. It provides protection from pests and predators. With proper care, a greenhouse can be customized to create an optimum environment that enhances the growth and health of the plants you chose to grow. We all need a greenhouse!
How to build your greenhouse.
I believe that we are each wonderfully and uniquely made in the image of God. That each of us has a heart with rich soil capable of nurturing and growing and nourishing beautiful plants and rejoicing in their abundant fruits. Every single one of us was made to do this, yet no two hearts, plants or fruit are meant to look the same. Each is a beautifully unique array of gifts we were specially made to produce.
The soil of our hearts is so easily affected by the climate and environment of our lives and the world around us. So easily impacting what we are indeed called to do – which is provide fertile soil to produce a plentiful harvest. However, just as a greenhouse can create an optimum environment for growth, so can we built a greenhouse for our hearts.
- Recognize the impact of the season and climate of your life.
- Our lives are unique, and the climate of the season we in will impact us differently than anyone else. Don’t let anyone else tell you that your season and garden must look like theirs.
- Trust that you are where God needs you to be right now. And whether your current joys and challenges feel like the heat of summer or the cold of winter, this is part of the cycle of life needed for growth.
- Know what the roles are the God has asked you to take on, and differentiate those from the positions you may have given yourself.
- Chose the seeds you want to grow.
- Pick your seeds. In other terms, define your priorities. You are one person and being all things for all people is just not possible. Thoughtfully and prayerfully decide the most critical priorities in your life.
- Know how to grow your seeds. Also, remember as setting your goals. Prayerfully ask God to guide you in understanding what He needs of you in the roles and priorities you’ve set together. God is a God of order, not chaos, and as such, He has a plan for our garden of life.
- Till your soil.
- Take care of your heart. Just as the ground needs to be tilled before planting seeds, so does your heart need to be cared for to allow for growth. Just as you know your priorities and goals in caring for those that need you, so must you know what you need to be your healthiest.
- Know when to rotate your crops.
- Rest. Yes, rest! Farmers know that crop rotation prevents soil depletion and maintains soil fertility. So does your heart. Think prayer rotation to avoid the exhaustion. When we do the same thing over and over, we sometimes depend on muscle memory and fail to be genuinely present. Rotate your prayer life, as needed, to increase the nutrients required for growth.
- Visit your greenhouse daily.
- Daily prayer is essential, not always natural, but necessary. Your season in life plays a role in the way and time you spend in prayer, and God knows that. Whether you spend hours in prayer or visit the word while your kids are napping – set time aside every day to visit with God. Let Him tend to your heart with the water of life, just as you water and tend to those you love.
Whether a green thumb is a God-given gift of yours or not, we must all care for the soil of our hearts and the seeds we grow within. Just as no two hearts are the same, neither are the needs to create growth. This is your heart, your soil, your seeds entrusted by God. Build the greenhouse your heart needs for the season you are in, nourish and water it daily, and let the fruit of it grow abundantly so that you can be the beautiful and unique image of life that God designed you to be.
xoxo
Catherine