Here are my recent rambling thoughts about the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13... be ye forewarned that these are just unrefined, unedited ramblings!
"The Kingdom is like this…” When we hear that phrase, most of us assume, I think, that Jesus is talking about Heaven… life after death. But, I’m thinking there aren’t any weeds in Heaven. So, there must be some other understanding of “The Kingdom”. There is an understanding of “The Kingdom” that we have either forgotten, or not fully understood, or just are uncomfortable with: The Kingdom is NOW. Not that there isn’t a “Heaven” or a place with white, pearly gates and streets of gold (who knows?)… but that when we pray “Thy Kingdom come”… that is a present-tense, past-tense, and future-tense word that means that we are IN God’s Kingdom… God’s Creation IS God’s Kingdom. That being said, let’s hear this scripture from a “Present-tense” perspective:
We will not fully know, until the harvest, how many (or who) the weeds are that are growing right alongside our wheat. Do they diminish the harvest, or endanger it, ir just make more work in the end? Weeds will grow, just like the wheat. Evil will grow within us, just like good. We will have weeds and good fruit w/in us. We are often not even aware that those seeds are there… but they are. They do not come from God, but from “the enemy”. They do us no good, but instead cause us to have to do more work. We must pray and work to ensure that what weeds there are will not choke out the wheat. We must pray and work to ensure that the weeds do not affect the harvest of our souls. We must pray and work to ensure that the weeds do not overtake what we’ve sown.
Know that there will be seeds. We will not see 100% yields, probably. There will be some “bad” in with the good. But I suspect that you already know this. Thank goodness God is a gracious God, and knows the conditions of our WHOLE hearts.
And if talking about our hearts…we need to know that what’s in there is gonna come out… and many times… most of the time… it comes out when we are not expecting, or are not in total control… often that means it doesn’t come out until we get in committed deep relationships, and get bumped up against. Know that the true condition of your heart is most evident when you let others IN.
Solomon tells us that everything we do flows from what lies in our hearts… and he tells us to guard our hearts. Remember that this Hebrew use of the word that we translate as “guard” does not mean to lock it behind a wall and throw away the key. I’ll say that again… the wisest man who ever lived is NOT NOT NOT telling us to lock up our hearts behind a fortress and throw away the key. NO! He is telling us to watch, oversee, and take care of our hearts.
Last week, when Alex was here, we went to the Cool Zoo (splash park at the zoo) and in order to let her have fun and play and BE the kid she is, I had to let go of her hand and let her run around. Mind you, I was watching her like a Mama Bear, ever ready to run to her aid and protect her… but I had to let her be free… yet remain in my watchful care.
This is the “guarding” I think Solomon means when he tells us to guard our hearts. We must let it be free to feel and become engaged in relationships. But we must also watch it… pay attention to it… and guard it against evil.
Proverbs 4:23 … above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
As we pay attention… pay attention to our actions, because they reveal the truth of what is in our hearts… seeds AND weeds. THERE WILL BE WEEDS. And so, our words and actions will not always be “right” and “Godly”… but if we are watching and caring for the health of our hearts, then the weeds in the seeds will be fewer, OR they will not take root, OR they will not grow to bear fruit.
Our actions flow from our hearts. So know that if our hearts are not in good shape, we are going to have trouble in our relationships. Pay attention to what is in your heart. The healthier our heart, the fewer weeds will spring up.
It’s like a healthy lawn. The specialists will tell you that the healthier your lawn is, the less chance there is that weeds will grow, and overtake it. So the first thing they tell you to do is to care for the lawn and make sure it is strong and healthy.
GUARD YOUR HEART… CARE FOR YOUR HEART… make sure it is strong and healthy. Know what is really going on in there…
1) THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE FEELING BEFORE YOU SPEAK. (name it!)
Frustrated Angry Happy Scared Left out Embarrassed Unappreciated Ugly Unlovable Failure Old Stupid Lonely Abandoned Scared Out of control Betrayed Picked on Jealous Disrespected Insecure
As long as our feelings are kept “secret”, they have POWER.
2) BEGIN TO ASK WHY YOU ARE FEELING THIS AT THAT TIME!
Most of what we are feeling has nothing to do w/what the OTHER person is doing… we bring those things WITH us into the relationship.
Identify and SAY IT OUT LOUD. When you name it, it begins to lose its power… but we also lose our excuse.
“I’m so glad you told me.” (and then button up… don’t fuss, don’t try to fix)
Healthy people QUIT doing whatever it is, once they find out it is hurting someone else… especially someone they love.
So … if we understand that THE KINGDOM IS NOW… and it is like this… farmer sows the seeds, and while he sleeps, the enemy comes and sows weeds over the wheat… and those seeds grow right along with the wheat, some making it all the way to the harvest…
Know that your hearts have weeds… we all have weeds in our hearts… and some grow strong. KNOW that. CLAIM that. OWN that. But take care. GUARD your hearts. WATCH what you say and do, and UNDERSTAND that those are true indicators of the health of your heart. ASK why you feel and act certain ways. And seek guidance and counsel from the TRUE GARDENER about how to address the weeds. Some of them the MASTER GARDENER HIMSELF will take care of at the harvest. Some of them we can pull early on. And with watchful, diligent care, we can minimize more weeds from being sown and taking root. Yes… there are weeds in all our seeds… but thanks be to God, we are not without hope and a plan!
