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SEASON THREE "Busyness"
The thorny ground represents those who hear and accept the Good News, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares of this life and the lure of wealth, so no crop is produced. (Matthew 13/22)
The thorny ground represents those who hear and accept the Good News, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for nice things, so no crop is produced. (Mark 4/18,19)
The thorny ground represents those who hear and accept the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity. (Luke 8/14)
Ask just about anybody how things are going in their lives and the (almost) predictable answer will be, "Busy!!" This is the season of life that I think is most common in the lives of many, many Christians. It is certainly a feature of our western culture and it has found its way into the lives of many of those who make up the faith community.
Busyness impacts all of us to a greater or lesser degree. But Jesus seems to get behind and below the symptom - busyness - to the cause. Our busyness is energized by what He variously calls, "the cares of this life", "the lure of wealth", "the desire for nice things", "the riches and pleasures of this life".
The NIV translation for the "lure of wealth" is "the deceitfulness of riches". How much does this deceitfulness deceive us? How much of my busyness is the product of a deception that makes me a "driven person"? This season of the soul is filled with activity - sometimes feverish activity. There is little time available to set priorities that reflect Kingdom living.
The real tragedy of this season in my life is that, despite all the coming and going, my life is largely unproductive. As Jesus described it, "no crop is produced", "…they never grow to maturity". The things that really count are "crowded out" or, as the NIV translates it, "chokes it, making it unfruitful".
Here's the really sad thing; much of this busyness may relate to my Christian life. Lots of Church activity and meetings. All this can be so demanding but unproductive. The fruit of busyness is almost the opposite of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5/22,23). No matter how we may rationalize it, this drivenness may very well prevent or, at least, hinder our growth to maturity and the kind of fruit that brings glory to God (John 15).
The only solution or antidote for this season of the soul is the exposure of the lie, the deceit that undergirds and fuels it. Until I recognize, believe and accept the truth of the thorns and their slow but sure choking of the fruit that really counts, I will probably lengthen this season in my life.
