Daily Devotional for November 2

 

November 2                                               Matthew 13:18-23

              "Hear then the parable of the sower."

I stand with the crowd today and listen attentively as your
words fall on me like seeds ready to sprout, grow, and bear
fruit. Suddenly I am an expanse of land stretching north, east,
west, south, with the landscape of my inner life lying open
before you.

I watch as you scatter seeds on pathways worn hard by my
busyness, and I see commitments, like a hundred birds, swoop
down on each moment, devouring the promise of new life
before it can sprout.

I watch as you scatter seeds on rocky soil, that part of me that
has not yet learned to persevere, and I see that the seeds sprout
quickly in the morning, but cannot endure the heat of noon.

I watch as you scatter seeds on thorn-infested soil, that part
of me that is full of contradictory desires that turn my inner
life into a battleground, and I see the seeds choked to death
before they can mature.

A great sadness comes over me, because I understand that in
my search for meaning and purpose I have left little room
within me for your Word to take root and grow.

At that very moment I see you casting seeds with wild aban-
don on good soil. The wind carries your words to me: "Now
that you are open to hear, accept, and persevere in my Word,
you have become good soil, and you will yield abundant fruit."

Throughout the day, I observe the many kinds of soil in the
fields I pass. With a knowing smile I scatter seeds of truth that
Jesus has entrusted to me; for I know that even if some seeds
are lost on hard, rocky, or thorny ground, in the end some
will fall on good soil and yield an incredibly abundant harvest.

​

From The Road to Emmaus - An inclusive devotional Edited by Joseph W. Houle

Emmaus House of Prayer - Washington D.C.198