My husband and I go to South Dakota every year for a week in the summer. We can usually depend on favorable weather to enjoy the things we like to do. We bike and hike and enjoy the beauty of God’s creation in the awesome bounty of the Black Hills of South Dakota. It is not everyone’s perfect vacation, but it works for us.
When I read the story of the sower and seed in the bible from the Gospel of Matthew 13:1-23, I can’t help but think about South Dakota. The Black Hills have many rock formations and I am totally amazed when I see plants and even huge trees growing out of the craggy, rocky, ground…right out of the side of a cliff sometimes. There has to be some good soil in a crevice that affords these plants to take root and thrive.
This gives me hope. All of us have hard places in our hearts and in our lives. On any given day, temptations can overtake us. On any given day, doubt and despair will enter our lives. Whether it is due to conflict from within, or unfortunate or tragic events that happen to us, the rich soil of our hearts and souls can become a “rocky” place.
When we invite God into our stony hearts, it is He who can find the good, rich soil that remains there…even if it is a tiny crevice the size of a mustard seed. It is He who can plant seeds of hope, peace, and love…no matter how small we are feeling. There truly is a God who loves us and who can produce good things from our very smallness. Come to Him, depend on Him and know that He is the one who nurtures us.
“God, who began a good
work in you will carry it on to
completion until the day of
Christ Jesus.” ~Philippians 1:6