Good Ground

Good Ground

“Therefore hear the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” - Matthew 13:18-23

I was reading this the other day, and God pointed something out to me about the different types of soil.

Maybe you already noticed what I’m about to tell you, but I had not!

I always assumed that the different types of ground here were just that type of ground already. In other words, I believed that the good ground was already good ground. That’s just silly, isn’t it? I mean, how does good ground become good ground?

If you want to take any old plot of ground out there and make it good ground, depending on the state of it, you’re going to have some work to do! You’re going to have to clear debris, pull up weeds, and probably remove a bunch of rocks hidden underneath the topsoil. Getting good ground takes WORK.

When we’re good ground to the Word of God, it means we’ve already:

•  Not allowed the enemy to steal the Word from us… no, we:
•  Heard the word with joy and accepted it. Affliction came, and we did not yank that Word up out of the dirt. We refused to get offended either at people or at the Word. We clung to the Word and walked in love!
•  And when the cares and worries and stresses and aaaall of the methods of distraction that are out there to get us off course came knocking, we stood against them and carefully plucked those weeds out of the dirt so they wouldn’t choke the Word! 

And then oh, glory to God, what happens? That Word produces FRUIT in our lives! Whether that fruit is a closer walk with Him, healing, provision, relationships being restored—whatever! If we’re good ground, the Word WILL produce WORD results!

It was so encouraging for me to realize that having thorns, rocks, and weeds that need to be dealt with in my life and heart DOES NOT mean I’m not good ground. BUT, I am always in the process of BECOMING good ground—woot!

Keepin' It Real - 30 Days of Love Edition

Just wanted to send a little shoutout to readers out there: don't give up or get frustrated!

Yesterday, I got miffy with my daughter, and believe me, she knew it.

Today, I've struggled for most of the afternoon to not flip my lid.

Breathe! Relax! Just repent, forgive anyone who's been a butthead to ya today, and know I love you.

And go watch a funny video! ;D

Controlling Your Thoughts, Bracelet Edition

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he... - Proverbs 23:7

After finding myself in a state of exhausted depression earlier in the year, I knew I had to change some things—and getting serious about controlling my thoughts was at the top of the list. Nothing else would change permanently if I didn't get this critical piece under control. I needed to learn to take "every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:5) EVERY thought. 

I've been doing pretty well, but as with most things in life, there's always room for improvement and growth. 

One morning this last weekend, after some quality time with my Dad, I was pumped and joyous. Straight up ready to conquer the world, lounge gear and all. By the afternoon, I was so on edge, I couldn't even stand to be around myself! How did I go from yay to blah in a few short hours? THOUGHTS. (Surprise, surprise...)

I don't remember where I let it slip, but I do know it was something minor. The small things are absolutely just that. But, if I don't handle them right away, they'll it sit in my head and travel along the pothole-laden roads of Crudville, gaining speed as they take the ramp into Dunlostmymindton. 

So, there I sat, frustrated. I apologized to my family. I got out my scriptures and put my mind on them. Then I asked the Lord—still feeling exasperated—for some help on how to better remind myself to check my thoughts. 

The answer came immediately (He's so merciful, seriously): wear a bracelet, and every time you notice it, ask yourself: "What am I thinking about right now?" If good stuff, carry on, soldier. If not, get to thinkin' on something positive, pronto. 

I ran to my office, snagged my rubber New England Patriots bracelet, and squeegeed it onto my wrist as fast as I could.

I don't wear bracelets every day, so they grab my attention easily. Today, I realized I had become used to the rubber bracelet and put on the clunky number you see in the picture below. (Bonus feature: it has made me more acutely aware of the presence of fine hairs on my wrist.)

So, what would work for you? A reminder popping up on your phone? A sticky note stuck to something you handle on a regular basis? Let me know what other ideas pop up for you!

This is the day...

My morning so far, besides slurping coffee, checking email, and farting around on Facebook:

- I wake up and trudge my way into the kitchen to start the coffeeer (I sneezed while typing that and decided to leave it as is) pot to find cat yark in the hallway. Yay.

- Cat #1 following me around and/or glaring at me from the vicinity of their dry food dish because I haven't yet refilled it. There's still food in it, but you know, he has to bend a little further to reach it. The horror.

- I pulled the coffee filter out of the coffee pot to throw it away, and it rips, spilling half of its contents on the floor. The dustpan needed exercise anyway.

These are the little things that can really set your day off wrong if you'll let them. But, today, I choose to laugh about them instead of allowing any frustration to build. I know that this is the day that the Lord has made! And my God doesn't make bad things.

This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

Keepin' it real...

I post a lot of stuff about daily life, growing in God, and all of that. Thing is, while all of those posts are great, they're only part of the whole picture. It's my goal to make sure everyone who comes here realizes that I am a real person, living a real life, who occasionally goes a little...

Goofy?

No...

Nuts?

No...still not quite right.

Ape-poop ballistic?

Yes! That's it!

Take today for instance. I was doing great until roughly 7 p.m. Then all of the sudden, everything was just wrong.

I hated the dishes.

I hated the stupid scrubby.

I hated that no one else bothers to refill the soap-squirtie thingie with dish liquid ever.

And as my rage began to froth at whoever it was that created the stupid *bleep* tops on Clorox wipes - the ridiculousness of it all struck me, and the brakes went on.

So there you go. You may begin feeling better about yourselves *looking at watch* - now!