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As someone who grew up enthralled by those felt Sunday School storyboards of the 90’s, I admittedly get surprised sometimes by my own misunderstandings that can stem from being overfamiliar and under-reflective with the Scripture and parables that I grew up loving.
Recently, I was struck with a renewed curiosity for the parable of the four soils in Mark 4:3-9. Here, Jesus tells a story about four types of soil: The hard and dry footpath soil that was never expected to produce life, the rocky and shallow soil that can’t sustain life, thorny soil with an overgrowth of weeds that choke out vegetation, and THE GOOD SOIL - which is the only type that produces healthy crops.
I’ve always read this passage simplistically and never pressed in more about why these specific soil types are dry, shallow, thorny, or good. I somehow held onto a misguided assumption that some hearts have good soil and some hearts have bad soil - as if this is just up to chance and we don’t have a responsibility to tend to and nurture our own hearts. As a kid, I really just accepted a big “It is what it is” attitude, crossed my fingers, and prayed to Jesus that MY heart was the one made with GOOD soil.
The difference between good soil and rocky, shallow, or compacted soil is that the good soil has been tended to.
Some of us weren’t raised in situations and families that set us up for optimal growth so we have had to learn to tend to this soil ourselves - or we continue to reap the consequences of not being engaged in the nurturing care of our own hearts.
Some of us have suffered losses that have seemed to incapacitate us from investing into anything good for ourselves, beyond basic survival.
Some of us have pushed through long seasons of unrelenting production that dry up any nutrients, and we haven’t dedicated the time to allow our hearts to rest and be nourished.
The good soil isn't good because it produces a harvest...the good soil is good because it has been tended to!
And we are being invited into a partnership with God to tend to the soil of our own hearts.
The good soil has had the big rocks removed.
It’s been cultivated and turned over for aeration.
Good soil has received the nutrients it needs in its proper season.
This work is slow.
This work is measured.
This work is holy and worthwhile.
You hold intrinsic value - beyond anything you can ever produce.
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