Planted in the Best Soil
It's funny how in the Disney movie Bambi, the skunk's name was Flower. What irony for a skunk, an animal who could stink up a road for miles and miles, to be named after one of God's most fragrant creations! When one thinks of flowers, how can its soil not come to mind? Careful thought goes into the ground in which seeds are planted. Is the dirt, the soil, too dry? Is the soil damaged by past fires? Are there weeds underneath that can not be seen? Any good farmer will carefully consider where to invest their time and money before planting seeds to grow their flowers, fruits, or vegetables. So, then, why are human beings so casual when making decisions about where to settle and invest their time, treasures, and talents?
Every day and night there are decisions to make about which job to accept, which suitor to accept, which mate to pursue, whom to leave, where to live. Sometimes it feels like people are playing Roshambo when important matters in their lives. Jesus told a parable to his students about a farmer who had four different soils (Mark 4). These soils were very different in nature and, likewise, produced very different results. Jesus' students didn't understand what he meant. (Something makes me think they too were casual in their decision making processes in times past.) To help them understand clearly what the parable was about, he broke it down and told them that the Word of God (the information, the lessons, the prophecies) was so necessary to the nourishment of their lives that they needed to make sure they themselves were planted in the right kind soil. Their very lives were soil. Their very hearts were soil. Their minds were soil.
For us, where do we find ourselves planted? Planted in the ground of denial? In the earth of never-satisfied? In the soil of hostility? In the land of despair? Good soil helps us take root and grow...strong to our fullest height potential manifesting the fruit our seed calls for us to display. That's where love is. That's where joy is. That's where peace is. In Good Soil. Where are you planted? Maybe it's time for you to uproot and be planted in a different ground where you can take root and grow.
