Living in the Thorn Bush

Once again today, I read in Mark chapter 4 about Jesus telling the parable of the man who is sowing seeds. Later, Jesus' disciples ask Him to explain the story and why He told it. He very specifically explains it to them. Those seeds which fall by the road and are eaten by birds represent those who hear the word of God and Satan immediately takes it away. The rocky soil represents those who receive the word with joy and then due to persecution and affliction, their lack of roots cause the word to die away in their lives. I think we all understand about the good soil and how it represents those who receive the word and cultivate it into their lives and allow it to bear fruit for the kingdom of God.

Jesus also talks about the seeds of the word which fall among thorns. The plants begin to grow, but are choked out by the thorns and it yields no crop. I have heard this many times and this time, due to some other items God has brought to my attention, I gained a deeper understanding of what Jesus was saying. In the past, I have seen this as a statement of how thorns (anti-christian) forces can keep people from living for Christ. I viewed it much the same way as the rocky soil and considered the thorns to be another version of persecution and affliction. I never stopped to consider that those thorns could be things we allow to grow. But Jesus gives example of what those thorns could be. He says they are the worries of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things. These are the exact things that choke God out of our lives today. The worries of the world keep us from making decisions to stand for Jesus in the face of bills to pay, families to support, careers to grow etc. Because we are worried about circumstances, we decide to work on Sundays instead of going to church, not fellowship with Christians, and not use our gifts to freely minister to others. The deceitfulness of riches cause us to use our resources to stay ahead of the Jones' and dream about financial status and comfort instead of increasing our understanding of and service to God. The desires for other things cause us to place our physical, emotional, and worldly desires ahead of God and turning His plan for our lives into Our plan for our lives. We choke God out of our lives by the decisions we make. We allow the thorns to grow around us.

I always pictured the seed growing and the thorns choking it out until it dies, however, the story does not say that and Jesus' explanation does not say that. He says that it "yielded no crop." It His explanation, Jesus says that it "became unfruitful." To me that seems like a worse fate for a plant. To continue growing and not produce fruit. A plant's design is to put all of it's energy of growing and producing fruit and reproducing itself. To grow and grow and not have results, not fulfilling it's purpose, but only grow for the sake of staying alive and then dying is not a beneficial life.

Jesus explained that these people heard the word, but then allowed their circumstances to develop in such a way that it was nearly impossible to continue to hear the word. Jesus said those things choked the word. Are we Christians living in the thorn bush? Are we living for the sake of living, but allowing the world to choke the word in our lives to such an extent that we bear no fruit? Is the plan God has for us being replaced by our plan of living and dying and not much more? Are we living for ourselves or are we living to fulfill our purpose? It's time to get out the clippers and trimmers and go to battle against the thorns in our lives. Let the "Son" shine in and let the word give us nutrition and strength to grow and bear the fruit we were created to bear.

Love is being care-full

Recently attended a funeral. I had never met the person who passed away. I attended the funeral with 4 of her adult children who live in an adult care facility. They were a few of the over 300 foster children that this woman had cared for in throughout the 92 years of her life. I thought to myself about how unique this woman was yet she lived a quiet, ordinary life. As I watched people file into the room, I noticed many other "special needs" adults who had once been cared for by this amazing lady. As I watched, many children (in their 40s and 50s) greet each other with tears and remembrances, I began to focus on the people that had come in with them. I watched the "care-givers", the foster parents, those who provided sheltered work environments and those whom God had brought in their lives just to be a friend.

I share a kinship with these wonderful people, because I was blessed to share my life with my sister, Sherry, who had down's syndrome. Her presence in our lives taught us about many of the amazing shades and colors of life that many people miss. I had experienced the loss of my sister and how great a loss it was to our family and her friends. Now I have seen how God can walk through life and death experiences with those who struggle to deal with daily life and show them how to do what we all should be doing.... loving one another. Their "mother" understood this about life. She cared for others, not just as an emotion, but as a verb. She fed, clothed and took care of the physical needs of all of those children who would have had no one. She also cared for them emotionally, by spending time and listening. When she could no longer take care of herself, she moved into the same care facility where her children lived so she could see and care for them as much as she was able. She loved them and they loved her.

When Jesus said the second greatest commandment was to love each other, I think this is what He had in mind and how we need people like Sherry and other "special people" to teach us the way. What a wonderful legacy.