By Kara Johnson

 

And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the wayside. ~ Mark 4:4

In today’s Gospel reading, we see the familiar parable of the sower. Most commonly, this story has been credited to represent the admonishment of fully receiving “seeds” of God’s truth into the “soil” of our hearts so we can form deep roots of spiritual stamina and an abundant crop of Christ-like virtue.

There’s always been a piece of this story that didn’t make sense to me, though. 

Why would the farmer be so haphazard to throw seeds where he knew they couldn’t survive? After all, seeds meant livelihood, sustenance, and survival.

Hope for an unlikely harvest

As I’ve studied this story further, I’ve discovered a beautiful encouragement from what I’d initially tagged as an irresponsible methodology. You see, the sower threw kernels everywhere, not because he was lazy or reckless, but because he’s showing us that every soil can be transformed and every seed can have an opportunity to sprout. Not only that, but he’s teaching us that through his toil and tending, even the most barren landscapes can produce a flourishing forest. 

Turning rocky souls into receptive soil

Now, instead of the sole responsibility falling on my shoulders to be “good” soil, and instead of fretting over what appears to be the rocky receptivity in the hearts of those I love, I can turn to the farmer and ask him to transform the very ground of our being. 

Call to Action

It’s through the nail-pierced hands of our Heavenly Father-farmer that the stones of sin can be crushed, and the birds of blatant opposition can be shooed away. We need only to yield to his tilling in our own lives as we petition and yearn for his tending in the souls around us.

What pieces of our lives do we need to ask the farmer to transform today? Is there someone in your life you entrust to the care and skill of our Heavenly sower?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you for not leaving us stranded on desert ground. Please make the soil of my soul rich and receptive to all that you have for me so that I may yield a harvest worthy of your calling.