Agrarian stories about the kingdom of God

In Chapter 4, Jesus taught the crowd by using parables. I once heard that a parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. These stories are rich and give us much to think about. The first parable is about a farmer who went out to sow his seed (the word). The seeds are scattered and essentially fall in four different places (representing people’s hearts/response). I want to focus in on this story because it has had a profound influence on my life. You see I often find myself in the third scenario:

“Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.”

Worries of this life…Deceitfulness of wealth…Desire for other things…
I hear the word, but there are so many things going on in my life. God, unfortunately, gets choked out. Thorns come in different forms and cause my life to be unfruitful.
Maybe you know what the third scenario is like too. Here is an activity that helps me and I encourage you to try…
Do not post the following questions ☺ but maybe grab a pen and paper, take some time to pray, and write these out.

What is frustrating me right now?

What am I worried or anxious about?

What am I scared or concerned about?

In what ways do I feel inadequate?

What chokes God out of my life?

What makes my life unfruitful?

What am I thankful for? How has God been good to me?
What am I looking forward to?

P.S. If you are really feeling brave, share your list with your spouse, or parents, or a close friend.

*It is interesting that the words Jesus addressed to the wind and the waves (vs. 39) are exactly the same as he addressed to the demon-possessed man in Mark 1:25.
My prayer today is that you may be able to tell certain voices, thoughts, or storms in your life to “Be quiet, be still!”