But since they have no root, they last only a short time. (Mark 4:17)
“I have suffered much because of my decision to follow Jesus.” This statement sums up several conversations with believers as they shared their stories with our visiting group. They’ve come to faith in a land where Jesus is mostly unknown, and faith matters just aren’t important, until they go against what the family has loosely followed historically or what the government condemned for many years. Those who’ve said, “Yes, I surrender” to Christ have endured mocking and scorn, chastisement, the burning of their Bibles, and sometimes physical harm. They have been lonely and disregarded. And yet . . . .
These Christ-followers have consistently followed the Lord, surrendering the outcomes to him and persevering when many days it would be easier to stall out and live a life that blends into their society. They have put down roots, in the midst of a community that could be described as a rocky place. They’ve shown that the soil of their hearts is not rocky nor is it a pathway, available for Satan to steal away the seed. Their hearts are fertile; their lives invite their families to see what the Lord, the farmer, has planted, and what he now grows inside them. They refuse to fall away, even when trouble comes their way. And their families are taking notice, asking questions, exploring issues of faith and the Scriptures.
How fertile is your heart’s soil?
Take inventory of your heart’s soil. Pathway? Rocky? Thorny? Or good?
Jamie Hilty is a Wesleyan pastor’s kid. She currently serves with her pastor-husband in Goshen, Indiana, and has served as a contributing writer for Annesley Writer’s Forum.
© 2020 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
