Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed.  As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.  Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.  Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.  (Matthew 13: 3-8)

 

Last summer, in the early evening, I was out watering the garden.  I had just gotten out of the pool so was still in my bathing suit, a little soggy and a whole lot self-conscious because I was in my soggy bathing suit in full view of the neighbours.  But the nozzle on the end of our hose was a bit leaky and I didn’t want to get my clothes wet, so I persevered with my bathing suit induced insecurity.  I was hastily grabbing the hose off the hose winder and yanking things across the lawn, walking backwards, of course, when I tripped over a major rock in the garden and found myself splayed, face down in the dirt. 

It hurt.  Big time.

I laid there on the grass for what seemed like a lifetime.  I contemplated calling out and wondered if a neighbour was within hearing distance. I didn’t call out because I really wasn’t sure if this was an emergency, and you know, soggy bathing suit!   Finally, I pulled myself up out of the dirt; figured out that I hadn’t broken anything and limped my way into the house.  By this time my knee had blown the size of a football and was bleeding from a whole lot of road (lawn?) burn. 

I actually did do damage to my knee, and still am getting therapy for it.  Damage that likely will end up in a knee replacement, but I’d far prefer not to have surgery so I’m thinking that I will do the therapy offered to me to stave off surgery for as long as I can. 

But I’ve been pondering since that fateful summer evening, how much the ‘rocks’ in our lives can trip us up for a lifetime of damage. 

You see, I was already feeling a little vulnerable and self-conscious.  No self-respecting middle-aged dumpy woman should be watering their lawn in a soggy bathing suit, after all.  That’s just wayyyyy to much exposure.  Then, I tripped over a rock that I knew was there.  Not only did I know it was there, I had PUT it there.  But because I was feeling vulnerable and self-conscious, I was in a hurry and didn’t look out for my own self imposed trip hazard.  Then when I was tripped up, I didn’t call out and ask for help because I was embarrassed. 

And the thing is, my neighbours are kindly people.  Not only are my neighbours kindly, they’re skilled.  Brent, my next-door neighbour, was a firefighter!  He’s picked up all sorts of people from the dirt before and probably in even more stages of undress.  But, in that moment, in my soggy bathing suit, tripped up by a rock of my own doing, I couldn’t imagine inviting anyone into this place to help me. 

Yeah.  It totally was foolish.  I needed help.  I needed care. 

There have been so many times in my life when I’ve metaphorically tripped over things of my own doing that I have been too embarrassed to ask for help.  Even when I’ve experienced a whole lot of injury and trauma as a result.  I take great comfort in the parable of the Sower, because one thing it tells me about God is, that it doesn’t matter if your life is rocky and full of trip hazards, God will still sow the seeds.  And sow seeds with abandon.  Just because.

Just because in God’s world, you don’t have to be perfect in order to flourish.  In God’s world, the seeds are just there, we just need to remove the rocks that trip us up, or the weeds that choke out our life.  And maybe ask for some help from our friendly neighbours to do some weeding or some tilling. 

And even if we can’t manage to do it all, those seeds just keep getting sown.  And some of them will take.  And some of them will grow and mature.   

So, my dear friends, I know that at times we feel incredibly exposed and vulnerable.  I know there are times when we feel self-conscious or embarrassed.  I know that there are times when we are splayed face down in the dirt wondering if we’ve permanently damaged our lives, but we’re too embarrassed to call out for help. 

But here’s what I can say – ask for help.  Because all of us have been there.  Maybe not your exact circumstances, but with similar enough times of falling flat on rocks of our own making that we can relate, and maybe can help you clear a little more of your soil so that all those lavish seeds that keep getting sown can grow and flourish. 

Blessings today, and remember you are Loved.  Can you help me over here with this boulder before I hurt myself again???

~Rev. Lynne