Too many things - October 9
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 140, 142; PM Psalm 141, 143:1-11(12); Micah 3:9-4:5; Acts 24:24-25:12; Luke 8:1-15
With one teenager and another only a few months away from becoming one, Anne and I sometimes find ourselves crossing our fingers and holding our breath, waiting for certain realities to sink in. Both of us made decisions at our children’s ages that we hope our kids will not make this soon. At the same time, we know that making mistakes is part of growing up and learning to navigate adulthood.
This week, we were talking about how we keep them too busy to get into much trouble, which we think we are doing. Maybe there is some wisdom in that. But in today’s scripture, I also hear a warning.
In Jesus’ parable, some of the seed falls among thorns. The seed begins to grow, but the thorns grow alongside it and eventually choke it. Jesus says that the thorns represent the cares, riches, and pleasures of life. I once heard a priest from East Tennessee suggest that the things choking the seed may not always be bad things. They may be good things, responsibilities, activities, accomplishments, and opportunities, that gradually fill all the available space.
That raises an uncomfortable question for me as a parent and as a person of faith. Can a life become so full of good things that there is no room for what matters most?
What would it mean to give ourselves and our children enough space not only to grow, but also to make mistakes, experience boredom, learn to pray, sit with God in uncertainty, and nurture an inner life? These things require time that does not appear productive. They require moments that have not already been assigned a purpose.
Go anywhere people are waiting or sitting in public and notice how quickly we reach for our phones. We hardly know how to be idle anymore. How many of us (this week) have even honked at someone who failed to notice that the light had turned green because they were looking at a screen? We are surrounded by devices and activities designed to fill every empty moment.
Perhaps the problem is not that the seed has failed to take root. Perhaps too many other things are competing for the same soil. Even good things can become thorns when they leave us without the time or attention to recognize the Spirit of God growing within us.
John+
Reflection question: What is filling the soil of your life right now, and what might you need to set aside to give God’s Spirit more room to grow?