Liberia’s civil war ended in 2003, but the scars still linger on the streets of its capital, Monrovia. That tangle of weeds and concrete used to be a fountain, that mound of rubble was once a radio station, and that pockmarked building was an office.
As my host pointed out one devastation after another, we felt like the Pevensie children returning to the ruins of Cair Paravel in Prince Caspian or Will Smith surveying what was left of the world in I Am Legend. The destruction was depressing, especially for those who remembered the way things were.
The upkeep of our belongings and homes requires constant attention. We must continually wash, weed, and repair our property. Take a month off, whether from inattention or war, and the entropy of nature begins to take over.
The same is true of our personal lives. Our bodies need exercise to stay fit, our minds need stimulating books and conversation to remain sharp, and our souls must cultivate the spiritual disciplines to keep in step with God. Just as it is harder to contact an old friend whose trail has grown cold, so it becomes more difficult to read the Bible and pray when we fail to practice faith-building disciplines.
Jesus said that His kingdom is like seed that fell on rocky, thorny, and good soil. Rocky people lack depth and so wilt under pressure, thorny people allow the “worries of this life and the lure of wealth” to choke out the gospel, while faithful Christians bear fruit—“thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted” (Matthew 13:22-23).
The difference lies not in the seed but in the soil. If the garden of your life is overgrown with weeds and littered with stones, don’t despair. Seek God’s strength and wisdom as you till the soil.
More:
• Jeremiah 4:3
• Matthew 13:3-9
• Galatians 6:7-9
Next:
What aspect of your physical, social, or spiritual life have you neglected? Name one thing that you will do today, and another by the end of the week, that will begin to revive this important part of who you are.
garymax on November 18, 2009 at 9:19 am
Thanks Mike: I travel to Liberia frequently in support of orphans there and like you, I see the scars of war. Liberia has greatly improved in recent years but has a long way to go. Of course your focus is on the spiritual application of how we too are scarred and must move toward restoration on a personal level even as your illustration of Liberia paints a picture of devastation to healing on a national level. The physical destruction of Liberia reflects how sin and neglect can destroy and render us ineffective but restoration to usefulness is possible as we allow God to remold us into productive vessels. Just as countries can fall and be rebuilt, we too, have a master craftsman who is ready to rebuild us from the inside out. Just as Liberia is being lifted up from the ashes of war, we too are lifted up from the ashes of sin, neglect and spiritual apathy as we offer the soil of our lives to Him.