We Are Soil, Rain is the Word: But What Do We Do With It?

Good Soil
My sons know so much of the Bible from memorization. And that’s because of the season of their lives: they are young and enrolled at a Christian school. Hence, they are being taught to memorize scripture. They don’t necessarily know what some of the passages mean, or how to apply them. But if my husband and I do our job as Christian parents, hopefully (and I do stress HOPE-full-y) by living with us, our boys will know how to not only apply scripture in their daily lives as they grow up, but also may they learn how to use what the Bible teaches as a transformative application.

In this sense, the Word is like rain on good soil. They know what the rain is, how much is falling, and their soil is fertile, pure, and full of potential for producing a living, breathing life form; by allowing the rain to soak in and do its work.


Bad Soil
An old church co-worker of mine, who was a nasty S.O.B used to recite scripture to me in order to ‘win’ a conversation. You know the type? They disagree with anything everyone says, hate change, and hide behind scripture to justify holding their ground. Never mind that they are using and abusing the Word of God and the life of Jesus in order to avoid making change. They know scripture, and when it’s thrown in your face like that (especially if you work in a church) the argument pretty much ends right then and there.

For this person, the meaning of the Word is like snow that beautifully covers and ugly barren landscape. It looks beautiful and protects the ground, but because the soil is so bad, doesn’t produce anything when it melts.

All About the Drops
My best friend…who hasn’t participated in a Christian community of believers her whole life that I can remember, likes to ask me about the Bible and what it says. And I really like this. I really appreciate that she wants to engage in a conversation with me on a topic that my life revolves around. But, it turns out, she doesn’t really engage in calm conversations so much as full on debates. She gets frustrated with me because not only does she know scripture, but she also knows the current debates taking place academically surrounding said scripture.

She'll ask, “What do you think about the Olson/Smith debate on Salvation?” “What do you know about eschatology?” And in frustration to my I-don't-knows, “How could you not know more about the thing you are concerned with most: being a Christian?”

For her the meaning of the Word is all about the actual rain, what the drops are like, what cloud it came from, how many drops per second, how big, and so on; pay no mind to the effect on the soil, if any.

AstroTurf
Then there’s a ‘certain relative’ of mine (I promised I would stop naming sensitive relatives in my blog) who thinks they know scripture but they have never personally read the Bible…truly read it. They use the Bible to the tune of trying to get away with something as long as the Bible doesn’t specifically say not to do it.

Like, this person would say, “well the Bible doesn’t say I can’t do it, so it must be okay!” You know, their moral compass is all about what you can get away with, rather than discerning God’s will.

For this person, the rain is just something to make conversation about, and soil is irrelevant…because their landscape is astro-turf.

Fertile Soil Has Weed Seeds Too
I am, like, well, in love with Jesus…not ‘like’ love, but deep connected, engaging, with a capital L -love. And I am in awe of my Father and His word, and interpreting it to the best of my ability. And yes, that means taking the leap of faith that the Bible is God’s word and not another person’s perspective on God’s word. I think without a doubt that everything in the Bible is true, and there is nothing that cannot be answered by the Bible. I believe that someday, somehow, every thing considered ‘way out there’ written in the Bible will be found - tried and true: look at the water and solar systems for example.

I trust that I will be a better person by doing what I read in the Bible; and so I try. I don’t memorize it, I try to apply it....and/or understand the value of the application. I flub it a lot, cowar away, hide from it, and sometimes when I do step out, I make a lot of mistakes.

For me the Word is like rain on loose, warm, puffy soil. It sinks in right away and either a beautiful plant springs up, or a weed pops out…but the soil is actively producing something. The rain is forgotten for what it is, but is appreciated for what it does.

And here’s the thing: My way is not the ‘right way’ or ‘wrong way’. And I am definitely inbalanced in my learning. I need to be more balanced in my memorization/application ratio of scripture, knowledge of current affairs in religion, and vocal in the morality of God’s love and, Jesus’ sacrifice. You know why? Because I can be more helpful to others, a better witness, a better example, mentor, and friend if I broaden my base....understand the whole knowledge about the rain and it's origin, know more about the soil and how to care for it, know more about all the minute details - - -so that I can go to people...where they are at...freely...and appreciate who they are and where they are, and be present in the relationship. That's why.