I have always loved flowers. I certainly don’t profess to have a green thumb, but I do the best that I can to help them thrive. I also like to surround myself with lots of flowers so each spring I make my pilgrimage to the greenhouses looking for the flowers that are going to take up residence on my front porch, patio and deck.
Long about July and August I begin to question why I thought I had to have so many flowers. However, it never seems to deter me in the spring.
If you have had much experience with plants, you know that the condition of the soil is the key. The soil must have the necessary nutrients and be porous enough to hold moisture while at the same time strong enough to support the plant. I also try to have a weekly regiment of feeding my plant, replacing what has been depleted.
Spending time with my plants reminded me of the parable of the seed. If you haven’t read it in a while, take some time to read Matthew 13. In the parable Jesus talks a lot about the soil. It is really the focus of the parable.
We are first called to be seed planters. Planting God’s word should be our goal, but we also are to be receivers of the word. If our soil is not “good” then the seed or the word will go nowhere.
As I am writing this it is a Monday morning. I started examining my soil. Yesterday morning during the worship service was my soil good? Did the message that my pastor was sharing fall on good soil or was the soil full of thorns? Did I crowd the message out with thorns that hampered me from receiving what God had inspired him to present?
Just like feeding our plants shouldn’t we take time to feed our soil?
I am going to try this week to make sure that my soil has been fed so I am ready for the seeds on Sunday. I want to make sure that the message falls on good soil.
