Listen

He said many things to them in parables: “A farmer went out to scatter seed. As he was scattering seed, some fell on the path, and birds came and ate it. Other seed fell on rocky ground where the soil was shallow. They sprouted immediately because the soil wasn’t deep. But when the sun came up, it scorched the plants, and they dried up because they had no roots. Other seed fell among thorny plants. The thorny plants grew and choked them. Other seed fell on good soil and bore fruit, in one case a yield of one hundred to one, in another case a yield of sixty to one, and in another case a yield of thirty to one. Everyone who has ears should pay attention.”

Matthew 13:3-9

Think

I want to grow up fast! That’s what I used to want and expect it immediately. If I started something new, I expected everything to be perfect and on point. But honestly, that is not how most growth works. We want the seed and the fruit on the same day. Jesus reminds us that the condition of the soil matters. Sometimes God’s word reaches us, but distractions steal it, pressure dries it out, or worries choke it before it can grow. We are focused on the seed and helping it grow. The soils need different things from us.

The question is not which soil is different, but how we’ll show God’s love in new ways. Growing in response to mission is not about going to places but about learning how to serve in the places we find ourselves. Sometimes the hardest soils are not distant but close. Growth takes time, but rooted faith will eventually produce strong, meaningful fruit.

Daniel Andrés Rivera Rosado

Question to Ponder:

What are the places in your life where you need to grow?

Pray

God, help me understand my call to grow. Not fast, not by impulse, but to steadily grow in your love. Amen.

Go

Let’s go, vamos

Let’s run God’s race

With love and action

Come on, let’s go: ¡Vamos!

– ¡Vamos! by Colleen and David Burroughs