"16 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 17 But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. 18 The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word, 19 but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced." Mark 4:16-19
The parable is all too familiar but my heart aches as i think about my part in the grand scheme of things. Every time that someone falls away from the Lord shouldn't we be hurting inside? What can we do to prevent the mass of college age students who turn from the Lord on a daily basis?
"But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word."
Roots. Discipleship. The Lord is calling us away from salvation by the numbers. He is calling us to walk in community with one another. He is calling us to walk alongside each other and to disciple each other. How can we stay grounded without roots? What type of relationship continues with shallow roots? The Lord is calling us to deep relationship with Him, and deep relationship with each other; otherwise the moment hard times come we will not be able to stand up using our own strength.
"...but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced."
Why are our peers so quickly falling away from the Lord? As i have recently moved away from home and am now beginning my life as an adult, the "worries of this life" are so much more evident. But why am i letting them choke me? Why am i getting so caught up in these earthly struggles and worries. God promises that nothing in heaven or on earth can separate me from His love, so why should i worry about measly things of this world? He is so much more beautiful than the lure of wealth, fame, and fortune. Yet, each day i struggle with an inner battle between my desire for earthly recognition and my desire to please God. The Lord is so much more beautiful! And this is often hard to see, but sometimes i think we are looking too hard. Sometimes we need to take a break from the worries of this life to smell the roses and be thankful that God has given us a new day.
These verses in Mark are a challenge to me. They are not only a challenge for me to evaluate my own life, but they are also challenging me to step alongside my brothers and sisters in this struggle called life. No one should have to face the problems of this world alone, and i think God is calling us to take a deeper look at the call of discipleship and community.
And these are the musings and ramblings of an imperfect daughter of God who is simply trying to make sense of the beautiful chaos that is life...
