Do you hear what I hear?
"Therefore consider carefully how you listen....” ~Lk 8:18a
How do I listen? The seed that fell on the path was trampled. It was there for all the world to see, but men walked all over it. It was there for them, but they ignored it and saw no value in it. But the birds, they saw worth in it and carried it away. Do I just ignore God's word? Does it have a place in my heart beyond Sunday morning?
The seed that fell on the rocky ground had no sustenance. It needed water to thrive and when things got too hot, it shriveled up and died. Am I just listening to & reading God's word to check a box? Am I really considering it and allowing it to change my life? Or am I just playing at religion?
In the seed that was choked by thorns, I see distractions. How many other things in my life compete for first place? Am I splitting my attentions, compartmentalizing Christ to weekends? Or do I allow God's word to permeate my every day?
I don't think we get to fall into just one of these categories. I think there are days where I fall into each of them. Unfortunately, I think there are days where I trample all over God's word, turning my back on him and making decisions that I know don't wash with what he wants for me. I think there are days where I just check the box, hope unspoken that some religious checklist somehow impresses God (right!). Then there are days, many more than I care to admit, when I just breeze right through my time with God and forget what I've just read by the time I walk out my front door for the day.
Lord, help me to carefully consider how I listen today. Moreover, help me to go beyond just thinking about it. Help me to see a way clear of the thorns and the weeds. Cultivate the word in me and help me to stop and take note of how your word can help me today.
Created about 1 year ago
