One spring, when I was 18, I decided to do something I had never done before; I would plant a rose bush. I remember heading to a greenhouse and standing in front of rows of rose bushes in pots, each with a picture of the type of rose the bush would grow. I agonized over which one to get but finally settled on a Princess Rosebush. I proudly carried my rose bush to the checkout, took it home, dug a hole, and waited for my rose bush to bloom.
Things started well. I watered my rose bush faithfully, and slowly it began to bud and blossom, first one, then two, then three blossoms. After about a month, the bush stopped blossoming and started to look sick. My Princess Rosebush was dead by the time fall came along, and I had no idea why.
Some time later, I talked to someone about what happened, and they asked me, “What did you do to prepare the soil?” I didn’t understand what they were asking me because I had never really grown anything before. “Prepare the soil?” – What do you mean? I dug a hole and planted my rose bush; what more was needed? There was more I could have done to help my rose bush blossom and flourish. I thought I had just bought a bad plant, but it turns out I needed to prepare the soil.
Did you know that your soul is a lot like the soil in which you plant seeds or a rose bush? Your soul is the place where seeds of faith are planted. In the right soil, faith flourishes; in the wrong soil, faith languishes and dies. Did you know that there are things you can do to help your faith blossom and flourish?
This weekend Pastor Colin will be looking at a familiar parable and exploring God’s part and our part in helping faith flourish. I hope you’ll join us this Sunday as we look at Luke 8:1-15 and ask the question, “How’s the soil of your soul?”
See you soon,
Pastor Kirk
