Matthew 13 is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. I could reread it over and over and always see something different God is trying to teach me. Today I would like to spend some time on the parable of the sower. I am sure we have all heard some great sermons on this topic. I know I have. One of my favorite sermons was by Francis Chan called Don't assume you are good soil. Before I owned the farm the concept of dirt/soil was one of an intellectual understanding that made perfect sense. Weeds, rocky soil, roots pretty straight forward. Then I bought a farm...
On that day Jesus went out of the house, and was sitting by the sea. And great multitudes gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole multitude was standing on the beach. And He spoke many things to them in parables, saying, "Behold, the sower went out to sow; and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. And others fell upon the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had not depth of soil. But when the sun had risen they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. And others fell on the good soil, and yielded a crop some a hundred fold, some sixty and some thirty. He who has hears let him hear." Matthew 13 1-9
I have a morning ritual and one of my favorite parts of that ritual is what I call the Garden Check. I have various gardens on my farm and each has a color theme and feel that I want to accomplish. As I check each garden I water and see what issues or blooms are happening. It's amazing and dynamic and I have learned so much through it.
In my Fountain garden I have planted red and white roses, purple russian sage, red geraniums and various purple plants and a little tiny plant called mint. Coming from the city, I thought mint sounded delightful. It smells good and would make for a lovely garden addition. I have learned so much from the mint. Mint is crazy. It's unstopable, rebellious, over powering. I came to learn that once your mint is in the ground it takes over. It grows in long lines under the soil and the roots spread rapidly. You can dig it up, but it's still there. It's root travel like a train. They go in directions that you don't see, and low and behold, you have mint coming up in places you never planted. Oh, it's still beautiful and smells delightful, but it will not stop moving. It has taken over.
I have pondered my mint and what God would say about mint in His parable of the sower. Mint starts out innocent and sweet smelling and small. It feels like a nice addition to your garden. How many things in our lives start out small and innocent maybe even a nice thing to incorporate into our daily life, but wait, those roots are spreading. You don't see them spreading, you don't see how they are getting into all areas of your life, oh, but they are. That mint starts popping up everywhere. You pull it out and everything looks fine again. Roots...they're still there and now they pop up somewhere else. Months later you have mint in areas that are not even closely related to the mint. It's taken over, again.
Mint reminds me to be careful what I innocently add into my life. Mint isn't bad, it actually quite lovely, but it takes over. What unchecked roots have taken over? Do I want to add this or that to my life. What kind of roots does it have. Think, be careful. Know your garden and know what you are planting. It's not just about the pretty plant it's about what lies beneath. Do the research. Not all plants are good for the garden.