Read: Matthew 13:20-21 & James 1:1-12
THE ROCKY SOIL
My yard is full of rocks. Seriously. Large rocks, medium rocks, small rocks, tiny rocks - they all have a comfortable home in what is supposed to be my lawn. The thing that really stinks about this fact is that we're trying really hard to grow grass right now. Guess what? Grass doesn't grow very well in a yard full of rocks (I know you're completely shocked by this). So my yard is really more of a giant rock garden full of weeds. It's nice. Okay, not really. So why doesn't the grass grow well? It's because the rocks prevent the grass from putting down deep roots, and without deep roots, the grass withers and dies quickly in the hot, scorching sun. You know, the reality of the Christian life is that it can be hard. There will be times in your walk with Jesus that will be really challenging or painful. The key here though is how will you respond to those hard times? When your life hits a rock and the sun is beating down, will you give up and let your faith wither and die, or will you fight for your faith and let the hard times grow your roots deeper? As you can see in James 1:1-12, trials in our lives will actually help us grow stronger in our faith! So have courage, be strong, and stick it out. But most importantly, know that God will get you through it, He won't leave you or forsake you, and in the end, you'll be stronger for it. I haven't given up on my lawn, and slowly but surely, I'm getting grass to grow in places I thought I never could. God's not going to give up on you, and He will help you grow in the rocky places of life. That's a truth you can count on!
Filed under Jeff's Journal
