Among the Thorns

 

And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable, “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (Luke 8:4-8 ESV).

 

Texas has a unique beauty to it. This year has been a particularly beautiful spring. We have seen what is known as a “super bloom” among the many wildflowers that grow in the fields and pastures that comprise much of the state. However, there is an old proverbs among Texans that I am reminded of as I see the incredible vistas: “If it doesn’t bite ya, stick ya, or sting ya it don’t live here.” That may have been in the back of Jesus’ mind when he shared the parable of our reading with His disciples. He talks about seed that is sown on different ground, some falling among the thorns and being choked out before it could bloom. Funny how that works.

 

The application is so contemporary. Sometimes we find ourselves so wrapped up in our work that even when we’re at home, we’re not really “all there”. Then there are the times when we are so consumed by worry that we hardly notice the rich blessings around us. We become driven to reach that next pay grade, get that new car with all the bells and whistles, or scoop up that new smartphone that no one else has yet. If something like that is driving you, it’s time to step back, take a deep breath, and ask God if you are doing the right thing.

 

The pleasures and distractions Jesus is talking about in this parable don’t have to be sinful to choke our maturity in the Christian life. We ought to be honest with ourselves and the Lord. It’s not wrong to enjoy great blessings, to set goals for building a business, or to have a bucket list, but it would be a huge mistake to let anything, but the Lord be our motivator. Yesterday I touched on this principle when I wrote about pursuing contentment. If we are distracted or driven by life’s troubles and worries, or by trends, gadgets, or gains and the pleasures they seem to offer, we won’t grow mature in the truly good life God intends for us. Instead, we will let those things take over in our lives, choking out the rich and full life God wants us to enjoy forever. Recalibrate today!