Grow

August 23, 2017

They manage to push up wherever even the smallest fissure creases the parking lot. Crabgrass is an opportunist; if a seed manages to find its way into even a hint of soil, it will grow. I arrived early for a meeting, and not having a key to the church, I occupied the time pulling the crabgrass lurking in the pavement cracks. One of Jesus’ more famous stories is his parable of the Sower. At first glance, this story is misnamed, because the bulk of the emphasis is on the seeds and the different soils. It really is though, all about the Sower. The seed is his, as are the different soils.  

Much attention has rightly been given by commentators and preachers to the various soils, comparing them to different conditions in human hearts. But that’s not the only way to look at this story. In addition to describing the various conditions that hinder the growth of God’s Word in us, it’s possible to see it just a bit differently, which is what catches my attention tonight. Despite all the obstacles to growth, the fact is, given the right conditions, the seed will always grow. That’s the way life works. Little babies are cute, but if they don’t grow, we get worried. We even have a name for it: failure to thrive. Why is this? Because it’s normal for living things to grow. We don’t have to encourage babies to grow; all we have to do is make sure the right conditions are there, and that the obstacles to growth are minimized. The same is true across all  of life. 

The people in the church I’m serving at times seem like that crabgrass in the parking lot. At first glance, all you see is the blacktop. But even the smallest fissure becomes a garden. The blacktop is dead stuff. It has to be sealed and cared for to keep the grass from growing. That grass will grow under the most unfavorable conditions if there is even the slightest opportunity. I am thankful tonight that we are people of Life. Our circumstances may seem as bleak as a blacktop parking lot, but we are spiritual opportunists. God’s life will spring up in the most unlikely places, and we have the privilege of being a part of the miracle.