The parable of the sower

pic from http://gardens.lovingspoonful.org/

I can't remember if I blogged about this for theRubicon or not. But nonetheless, every so often the imagery springs up again.

Short version: Sower goes out to sow his field. Some seed fell on the path, and were eaten by birds. Some seeds fell into shallow soil where they started to grow, but soon the heat got to them and they withered, because they had no roots. Some seed fell among weeds, and didn't grow long before they were strangled and died out. But some fell into good soil, and grew, and produced 30, 60 or 100 times more seed.

I remember studying this at guards - I can't remember if it was for Bible Knowledge 2, or if it was from my teaching Bible Knowledge 1 to other girls when I was older. We always knew we were the seed that fell into good soil, because we were good - sucks to be those other seeds that got choked by the demands of life or whatever! NEXT PAGE! What, we're moving onto the craft badge? Awesome!

And we were done.

I always remember that, cos now you can look at it with a bit of time passing. And maybe there was enough soil for the little plants that we were when we were younger. We lasted longer than the seed on the path, and sprouted into teeny little alfalfa plants. Awww :)

But how long did we last? Did we make sure to dig into our lives to make sure we stayed the good soil, or did we end up being the seed that died in shallow soil after all? When you take a step back, and zoom out to see the growth and depth of ourselves now, did we neglect to leave space for growth, and reach the limit of our dirt patch? When our world got bigger, did we ignore the rocks we grew up against because we were too busy looking at the view?

Maybe there were no rocks. Maybe there was soil enough for many things to grow in our lives, and we got overwhelmed with the possibilities. What if I don't have enough cash for uni? What if I don't get this job, or my car breaks down before I can get the engine looked at? I have to have both these assignments done before Monday, or I won't get the grades I need.

Maybe we weren't even choked by them, maybe we were just so busy pruning our social lives or our budding career, or juggling our extra-curricular activities that we forgot to tend ourselves, too.

I remember more than a decade of good friends in guards, people who were little alfalfas right along with me, or shorter ones that I overlooked. I know they read that story, and they were the seeds in good soil, too. I see them sometimes - in photos, on facebook, or even just in my memory. Some are married, finishing high school, working through uni. Some I can't believe how much they've grown! Some I miss as good friends grown distant. I wonder if they read that story again today, where would they be now?

Still shining in the good soil? Disheveled from entanglements with weeds, sweaty from breaking up rocks? A dying garden they've given up trying to revive? A forgotten memory compacted into dust? Or even a plant locked into a cupboard, struggling to reach for a crack of sunlight?

I wonder, but I can't wonder long. It's just day-dreaming. There are rocks to break and weeds to pull - and night is coming soon.