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