God -- The Eternal Optimist

When we read Jesus’ parable of the farmer who scatters his seed on the ground in Matthew 13, we see a profound message - and a call to action. 

Now, of course, the first thing I think of in reading it is: “WHAT A DUMB FARMER, TO SCATTER HIS SEED ON THE HARD PACKED STONY GROUND.”  I guess at least the birds got to eat the seed, so some good came of it.  I can give him grace for all the thistles that come up on the other ground, and I can understand how sometimes shallow soil can affect the ability to send deep roots to withstand dry periods.  I am relieved when I find the guy at least manages to get some on good soil that returns a crop of 30, 60 and even a hundred times what was seeded.  Heck, farming is tough at best.”

However, unlike me, Jesus used those farming parables to reach his audience of common people who were familiar with it.  Farmers hoped for the best crop outcome from the seeds they planted.  Jesus was saying God was the eternal optimist in that he could expect the ground of hardest stone hearts to produce a huge plant of great strength of faith.  I think that’s why the farmer sowed seed on rocky ground.  He wasn’t just wasting the seed.  God was saying, “Hey I’m giving you all an equal chance.”

Now I know I struggle with the thorns and thistles that grow up to hinder my faith, so I can certainly understand the comparison, and I’ve seen the shallow soiled faith of others who have disappeared along the path of life.  Perhaps you, like me, have done battle with those things at times in your life, and perhaps you maybe want your life for God to count.  Perhaps all we have to do to accomplish that is to invite a friend to church or maybe just show up when a person we know is in need.  It doesn’t take much to start the snowball rolling, but it does take getting ourselves to do it. 

“Preach the gospel at all times, and when necessary use words.”  (I love that quote from St. Francis.)