Soul-Soil Preparation (Matt. 13:3ff)
I’m walking down this road with You,
Not sure at all what I’m to do;
Some parts are clear, but this I know –
My hand’s in Yours as on we go.Two years it’s been since I said yes;
The road I’m on which You have blessed
Has blessed the others in my way,
So blessed are all of us this day.Three seeds of four do not pan out –
Some bounce off paths, don’t even sprout;
Some sprout but burn in shallow dirt;
Some get choked out in place of work.But some seed falls on well-tilled land;
Folks take word in and understand;
Then plants spring up – first ear, then leaf –
Crop geometric brings relief –For life was built, O Lord, by You
To work quite well, as work we do;
When players say, “I don’t need you”
It’s they themselves whom they abuse.You brought this man here to my door;
He needed help to hear Your word –
“First, soul-soil fix so plants can grow,
Then you’ll be fine when crops I sow.”When folks get hurt, soil’s packed by feet
Which hurry on some date to meet;
They crust up, don’t let seed-word in,
To geometric-life begin.Out comes the plow, as back and forth
The farmer works the land – of course
Good fences keep trespassers out,
So seeds can grow, from seed to sprout.Then comes the challenge for new seed –
The plow’s not deep as it should be;
Tough ground, resistant to the plow,
Says, “Good enough – put crop in now”.Soil warmed makes seedlings sprout with speed;
“See, that is all the depth we need!”
We say as we watch crop spring up
To life – but summer heat is tough –The roots are stopped from drinking deep;
They shrivel up, resource they need
To flourish, render bounty’s crop;
Bright hope soon fades, that crop is lost.The challenge comes when that is solved –
For weeds can grow where seed’s involved,
And choke out sun, resource, and drink,
So hopes for bumper crops soon sink.What are these weeds? Just other plants
Which do quite well, but one thing can’t
Fulfill for farmers – grow the seed
With food-supplies which humans need.Take worry – was a crop in me,
It rippled green like waves of sea;
Wild oats it was – all stem, no head;
Good crops spring up, but soon are dead.For some, the love of riches speaks
Into their hearts – a weed which keeps
Their geometric crops of seed
Suppressed, because of stronger weed.For others, creature-comforts do
Resource-diversion tasks, and fool
Them into choking out the seed,
Thus keeping them from food they need.So, three of four good seeds are lost –
On hard-packed soil some seed is tossed;
Some springs up fast but burns in heat;
Some weeds divert resource they need.Three quarters loss? ‘What waste!’ You say;
In larger view that’s not the way,
For geometric growth in seed
Provides the bumper-crops we need.For in the and all seed is ‘lost’,
And four of four is total cost;
But from one seed, lost like the rest,
Our need for food is now addressed.For thirty, sixty, hundred-fold,
Is our return – in bins we hold
Our crop for winter-time ahead,
Though four of four seeds now are dead.So how are we to deal with this?
Clean up our soul-soil, or we miss
The bumper crop set for our land,
Then take God’s gift to us in hand.Life works, but we must plow the fields,
Dig deep, toss weeds which cut the yields;
It’s tough to stop and soul-soil fix,
But that’s the fast way from the ditch.An “egg” is just a baby chick;
Same thing (though metaphors I mix);
You chose to stop three years ago,
And problems find so you would know –What kept the promise of your land
From proving out – to understand
What you could do to help each crop
To yield results – though hard to stop.Well, now you know – you’ve plowed the field;
You’ve dug down deep, cut weeds so yield
Should now return from cleaned-up land –
A good return from work at hand.As Roses end their farming toil
This year, you’ve now prepared your soil
To bring forth crops just like before –
Soul-soil prepared makes way for more.navigation