Which Seed Are You?

The more responsive we are, the more we will be given.

​We must be grounded and rooted in God's faithful promise to us if we are going to grow and produce. 

In Luke 8:4-18 Jesus tells a timeless story about for kinds of seeds that are "scattered" and "sown." You don't have to be a farmer to understand. Jesus uses plain and simple language to communicate the truth about human being and the importance of remaining steadfast in our faith...just as God is steadfast and faithful towards us. 

The four seeds are thus: The hard-hearted, the faint-hearted, the half-hearted and lastly, the whole-hearted.

If you think about a personal or intimate relationship you've had, it's easy to see how three of these seeds will lead to dissatisfaction at the very least. But the other seed will yield an abundance; producing more than we could ever imagine. 

Simple right? The disciples didn't think so. They ask their teacher to explain in greater detail. This is typical of them...and let's be truthful, for us as well.

The hard-hearted seeds hear the truth and remain unsure which opens them up and makes them vulnerable to attack. These are people who simply don't care. They like the way things are and accept that this is as good as life will ever be. As soon as they learn about God's grace and love the good news is snatched away from them, and they wither up and die without doing anything meaningful but go through the pain broken and alone. 

The faint-hearted seeds hear the truth and respond quickly and enthusiastically. These are the people who love to embrace life like fashion, and change their minds just as fast. Soon their faith piles up in a heap of other things as they chase after the newest and latest thing. But like a fad, it doesn't last; they have only shallow roots. And often the moment their faith is shook,  they give up and run. They spend their time searching blindly instead of embracing the truth that is (and always had been) right in front of their eyes. They remain lost and never fully satisfied with the richness of life. 

The half-hearted seeds really give it a go. Like a student focused on a career they set their sights on a goal and work towards achieving it. They set out to give it their very best. They go all out to learn more and do more, to better themselves for their job or goal. But as soon as the weeds and thorns of life begin to appear they give in to their fears and worries and get choked out by the false promises and pleasures of earthly life.

Too often we are too focused on what we want out of life that we forget what God wants. Yes, God wants us to be successful and goal oriented, but more importantly God wants us to be faithful. The half-hatted seed is often slowly tempted away from God because his goal is not grounded in God's will but his own. Before he can realize what is happening, fear and anxiety creep in. Things like financial fear and social anxieties that come with trying to keep up with the Joneses become the things that defeat them because they believe society above God.

We must be grounded and rooted in God's faithful promise to us if we are going to grow and produce. 

So Jesus teaches us about the whole-hearted seeds. These are the ones that hear the truth and bury themselves in it. They dig into the deep rich soil, and do not fear the unknown darkness. They understand that God is with them, nurturing and nourishing them. 

The whole-hearted seeds quickly  discover that in the dark soil and the unknown elements of life are not to be feared. For it's there God is mysteriously at work, breaking their shell and encouraging them to take root and grow. 

Buried in the ground they sprout strong stems that hold them upright. They grow leaves and extensions which produce more leaves and more growth. Like the human body, we cannot control this growth. Instead we submit willingly and let nature take its course. 

If you ask me, it's in the darkness of the soil where God's best work is done. Think about creation itself. The book of Genesis begins with God orchestrating life out of darkness. The whole-hearted seed hears the truth and gives over completely to the grace of God. As a result, God goes to work, creating fragrant and life giving blossoms that feed the beauty of the world and produce the fruit of God's kingdom. 

By remaining faithful and steadfast to their purpose in life, each of these seeds continue the circle of life as God orchestrates and not as humans seek to dictate. 

We must never lose sight that these words of Jesus are not just about other people, but about all of us. Every time we hear the word of God – whether we are reading the Bible or listening to a talk, we must remain mindful of how we listen...and how we respond. Faith is a verb in which the whole of your life responds to the word of God. 

The more responsive we are, the more we will be given.