Removing Rocks

"That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."
Matthew 13:1-8

I've been thinking about rocky soil lately. You see, my house was built 63 years ago, and has had many owners prior to my purchase in 1996. At some point, a previous owner decided that it would be a great idea to cover the entire property with black plastic and pea gravel. At some point after that, another previous owner decided that they didn't like the gravel and covered the entire property in topsoil and grass. By the time I purchased the home, the "lawn" had been badly neglected for quite some time, and all that remained was a lot of dirt and weeds, and a few grassy patches that refused to die.

Well, I landscaped the front yard in a quasi-desert motif with some hearty shades trees and numerous flowering shrubs and ground cover, and about 27 tons of rock. The idea was to minimize the amount of maintenance (and water) required to keep the front yard looking presentable.

The back yard was a different story. Shortly after purchasing the house, I acquired a dog, Tabitha. Tabitha was a great dog, and she occupied a place in my home and my heart for 15 1/2 years. But Tabitha spent a lot of time in the back yard, which was still mostly dirt and weeds. Needless to say, much of that dirt found its way into my house. My solution was to start watering the back yard in hopes that the lawn would revive and I would end up with more grass than dirt. My plan worked. It turns out that, given enough water, grass will grow just about anywhere.

But something unexpected occurred. Every time it rained or I watered heavily, all these little rocks would surface. Over the years, erosion had cause much of the topsoil to dissipate, and the gravel beneath would percolate to the surface every time the ground became wet. Eventually I had a very rocky yard, but still relatively grassy, as long as I kept up with the watering.

Fast forward to last year, when I acquired two new puppies, Buddy and Molly. To say that Buddy and Molly play very roughly would be an understatement. Their mode of play resembles something you would see on National Geographic during elk mating season. A casual observer would think that these dogs hate each other and are dueling to the death. They leap at each other and impact in mid-air, they throw each other to the ground, and race around the yard like a couple of greyhounds chasing a mechanical rabbit. This goes on for hours at a time, and has taken its toll on the yard. Within the span of about six months, they managed to destroy nearly all of the grass in the back yard, leaving nothing but bare dirt and rocks. And once again, all that dirt finds its way into my home.

So I am in the process of trying to reclaim my yard (and my sanity) be replacing all of the grass in the back yard, one puppy-free section at a time. However, in order to ensure a healthy lawn that hopefully will withstand the rigors of puppy olympics, I am systematically sifting out all of the gravel from the ground so I only have clean topsoil left, allowing the grass to develop a deeper root system.

So yes, I've been thinking a lot about rocky ground lately, as I haul away wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow full of gravel (I think I've already moved at least a ton or more - all by hand). Which brings me to the parable Jesus taught about the farmer.One of the places where the seed fell was on rocky soil. The seed sprang up quickly, but was also quickly scorched and died because it lacked roots. Later in that passage, Jesus tells his disciples:

"The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away." (Matthew 13:20-21)

He further tells us that the seed that fell on good soil produced an abundant harvest. If we correlate the soil to the condition of our hearts, this provides a valuable lesson. If I want an abundant harvest of God's word in my life, I need to have a heart free from rocks that make it difficult for the seed to grow and thrive. So I began wondering what those "rocks" are that we tend to carry around in our hearts. In Ephesians 4:31, The Apostle Paul mentions some of these rocks:

"Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice."

If we harbor bitterness in our hearts; if we allow rage and anger to control our emotions; if we actively engage in useless arguments and careless speech; if we take joy in making life difficult for those around us, we have rocky hearts, and the word of God cannot take root in our lives. In Colossians 3:8-9, he adds filthy language and lying to the list. Never underestimate the power of the tongue; words rashly spoken can never be reclaimed. Relationships have been destroyed and wars have been started over careless words.

I'm sure there are many other examples of "rocks" in our lives. I know the ones I need to remove. What about you? What rocks reside in your heart which prevent you from fully enjoying the abundant harvest of God's word in your life?

I come from a faith tradition that did not observe Lent, but I know that many believers around the world are currently observing this solemn time of reflection. Perhaps this is the ideal time for us to examine ourselves and root out those rocks that lie just below the surface of our hearts, waiting to pop up and rob us of God's blessings. With every load of gravel that I haul out of my yard, I ask God to help me remove the rocks in my heart that still remain. May we all have pure hearts where the seed can flourish and grow.

Have a blessed week!

Pastor David