Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Irreverin

Home
Progressive Christian
Scattered and Sown

Scattered and Sown

Last updated on: November 3, 2012 at 11:45 pm by Erin Wathen

Scattered and Sown 2012-11-03T23:45:33-07:00 Erin Wathen

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

So this farmer went out with a bunch of seeds. And he scattered them far and wide. Some fell on the road, so the road runners ate them. Some fell on the red rock; those seeds sprouted quickly, but their roots didn’t go very deep. The saplings whithered and died in the blazing sun, and the remains were trampled by coyotes. Some fell in the dry and thorny weeds; those seeds never had a chance. And some of those seeds fell on rich, fertile, life-filled soil, and grew forth abundant harvest.

Well…maybe that farmer didn’t live in Arizona, after all.

Still. You know this story. Most of us learned some version of it when we were very small. As one of my elders said, ‘ it’s so rich and visual. You can just see the flannel board.” Even if you didn’t grow up in a faith community, you’ve probably heard a secular translation. These images can be easily applied to academics, business, family life, investment, you name it.

Now, go back for a minute. You’re five years old, and your Sunday school teacher or your pastor says, ‘now, children, which kind of soil do you want to be?” Repeat after me now… THE GOOD SOIL. (‘Jesus’ might also be a correct answer, as Jesus is the appropriate answer to any question asked in a children’s sermon). Yes, we want to be the good soil. Well done. Now go back and sit quietly with your parents and LISTEN–be good soil– and God will grow something beautiful in your heart.

Hey, don’t pull your sister’s hair in church. And that quarter i just gave you is for the collection plate.

Anyway…it’s a lovely message. An important one. We need spiritual practices to make us ‘fertile soil’ for God’s word and God’s will in our lives. Prayer. Scripture. Kindness and generosity. These things will make us the kind of ground where good stuff happens. God stuff.

Now you’re a grown up. Let’s change the story.

What kind of farmer do you want to be?

The right answer, of course, is the KENTUCKY kind. You want to farm in Kentucky where the ‘corn tops ripe and the meadows in the bloom,’ and the tobacco leaves are bigger than your head, and the tomatoes are really tomatoes, and the strawberries are crayon-red, and a five-minute run to the garden is all the dinner prep you need. That’s what kind of farmer you want to be.

But the facts of life are, mostly we are farming in Arizona. (Stop being so literal. This is a metaphor).

In the desert, you have to scatter your seeds–the potential of life and growth and transformation–far and wide. Because in reality, much of what you have is going to land in a barren place. You can’t always be sure that the place where you stand is going to bear fruit. It might look green enough right now…but wait till July and see where the sun hits it. See what other-terrestial bugs and reptiles and rodents come crawling out at night to graze. See what a few months of no rain does to that promising corner of the garden.

But there…just over there, that spot that looks so utterly desolate and dry? There, exactly, is where the wildflowers come up singing in April. Where the winter grass pops up in December after just one hard rain. Where the cactus has been storing water, all year long, for just such a time as this.

You don’t know where your stuff is going to land. In ministry, in relationships, in business, in art. The landscape of our every day is broad and varied. If you want life to emerge from what you have in your hand, you’ve got to toss it far and wide, and trust God for the growth.

That’s what kind of farmers we want to be, if we are people of faith. We’ve got to sow generously, knowing that we are letting go of much more than what we hold in our hand. In good faith, we let go of our possessions, we let go our agenda, we let go our experience and expectations of ‘where the good soil is.’ We let go, and we watch in awe, as God takes our small seeds of faith and transforms them…10, 20, 100 times over.

We harvest in gratitude, and then we go plant some more. In the desert, and anywhere else we might be.

progressive christianity

spirituality

stewardship

Previous Post

November 3, 2012

Scent of the Sacred

Next Post

November 5, 2012 Joy in the Morning

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category a good week for progress Advent and Christmas Being a Person desert life faith and community Good News for Progressives Lent and Easter Marriage and Family S*^! Jesus Says sabbatical road tripping Spirituality in Culture Talking to Strangers the "Best Stuff I Ever Ate" diet travel Uncategorized writing Writing Prompt Wednesday

Select a Month January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 February 2011 July 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

I destroyed the world but saved eight people and many animals in a floating vessel. What am I?

Select your answer to see how you score.

A great storm God's judgment The flood The deluge