I live in the Texas panhandle which has a semi-arid climate–it’s a little bit desertlike, making landscaping a challenge. The neighborhood where I live and love has much uncultivated land. When we bought our home there was not much grass on our property. Over the years, my husband has added more grassy areas for various reasons. He has spent countless hours making those parts lush and green, but not without great challenges. As I’ve watched the process of preparing the ground for sod I tend to think of the Parable of the Soils in Matthew 13:1–9. This parable is about a sower who planted seed on 4 types of soil: beaten path, rocky, thorny, and good soil. The soil types represent how different people receive the word of God in their hearts. Cultivating our rocky and thorny land has given me a practical glimpse of what I imagine it may look like when I cultivate my heart-soil through what I call a Yearly Word Journey.
The four soil types
Jesus described the different soils to his disciples as follows:
Beaten Path - Matthew 13:19
“When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one sown with seed beside the road.”
Rocky - Matthew 13:20-21
“The one sown with seed on the rocky places, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution occurs because of the word, immediately he falls away.
Thorny - Matthew 13:22
“And the one sown with seed among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word, and the anxiety of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.”
Good Soil - Matthew 13:23
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
A person with good heart-soil is one that is teachable. I have found that having a yearly word to focus on prevents me from getting comfortable with the condition of my heart. It helps me keep my heart-soil rich and fertile so the word of God can grow deep roots and be fruitful.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22–23 NASB)
Yearly Word Journey
My Yearly Word Journey comes from a place of wanting to know God profoundly. I want to go beyond a superficial relationship with Him, and truly desire to understand and apply the Bible to my life. Around late fall, I come before God with a heart posture of gratitude and reflection, and pray about where He is leading me. I then ask Him to give me a word that represents that. At the start of a New Year, I join my word journey friends with our prayer-birthed words, in anticipation for what God wants to teach us next. Thus, I purposefully pursue what Jesus wants to teach me for an entire year!
You see, even though my husband works very hard to plant the grass seeds on good soil, he still has to fertilize and aerate the grassy parts yearly. And constant watering and nourishment is vital for a verdant lawn. And at times, there are parts that just aren’t thriving, and therefore need a little extra attention so they don’t wither and perish. My heart-soil needs yearly upkeep as well. But it can be overwhelming to know where to start. And it takes time for transformation to occur. Friend, this yearly word journey has changed my relationship with God more than I can ever describe! I invite you to join me and experience it for yourself. Visit aparadiseunfolding.com for more information. Let’s grow!
Scriptures for Contemplation:
Romans 12
Psalm 1
Proverbs 3:32
Do you pick a word each New Year to focus on? I’d love to know what your word is for this year and how God is using it to transform your life!
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