“It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil, yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that the birds of the air can nest under its shade.” Mark 4:31-32

I was on day retreat awhile back and as I chose a place to set up my chair I realized the place I had chosen on a small hill, had a particular view. I could see the farm beneath and the plowing, planting, watering and growing that was taking place. This was quite a sight to see, though the area directly in front of me was an unplowed field with no sign of vegetation. It was still just a large patch of brown dirt. I realized I could be looking at the particular season of my life and so I proceeded to reflect upon the image of that field and the connections the image had to my own life. What I first noticed was that the field, though still empty of any growth had straight rows plowed with a consistent distance between each row. These rows, or furrows in the dirt, provided enough space for the plants to grow and mature, both above the ground and below the ground. I kept wondering how in the world they were able to get such straight rows and soon discovered they used GPS positioning to guide the tractor as it plowed thus insuring very straight furrows awaiting seed to be sown. I realized that a force beyond the driver of the tractor was bringing guidance to the tractor in the form of a GPS signal. In my life, I believe God seeks to plant the empty fields of my soul with the rich vegetation of His Spirit and kingdom. God provides the guidance to plow straight rows, to receive the seeds of His life, and insure it’s appropriate growth. I believe the Spirit with and through the Scriptures offers that divine guidance. In fact, it seems that foundational to the production of the seed is to first plow the straight rows in life that are encouraged by the Word of God. These straight rows provide space to grow, but also provide boundaries. In the initial process of farming they offer a bit of form and structure to the new growth. But it is interesting as well that the point of farming is not to just plow straight rows but to produce a field alive with growth. In my Christian life at times I’m drawn to just plowing straight rows that look orderly and neat rather than moving much beyond to the deeper places of growth and maturity.

This brings me to my second realization as I looked at the fields before me. The one next to the one directly in front of me had been plowed and planted sometime in the past and now looked like a large carpet of deep green vegetation. As I looked at the growth I noticed that the straight lines had vanished from view. What was evident were plants that grew out and up toward the sun with little thought of order and neatness. Again I thought of my own maturing in Christ and realized that though the straight lines of guidance provided some structure in the beginning of my journey with Christ, that wasn’t to be the primary emphasis of the field of my soul as it developed. The Word of God now offered the refreshment of the living water of Jesus to nourish and sustain the life He had planted and that was now filling the field. The straight rows were no longer the focus, in fact, the straight rows were not even visible. The farmer was not out in the field checking to see if the rows were straight. The farmer was invested now in the life of the plants with all their twists and turns. His relationship to the field was less about maintaining straight rows and more about nurturing and caring for life as it continued to mature. I believe that God has done an incredible job cultivating the field of my heart. He has guided the process, designed the rows with heavenly precision and has planted kingdom seed in the soil of my heart. It is refined and ordered. But as my spiritual life matures His relationship with the field of my soul takes on a greater emphasis on what’s growing, how it will be nurtured and what plants of virtue and character might need personal attention. Sometimes I need to realize the condition of my soul as the farmer sees and responds to the condition of the fields. In all things I must attend to the care, timing and agenda of the farmer who provides what is appropriate to the field and seed in the particular stage in which it finds itself. The straight lines may have vanished from view but the Lord is still at work growing His life within me. If all I am looking for is the security of the straight lines of the plowed furrows I may never move into the season where growth is defined, not by the straight lines, but by the healthy plants.