Good Soil

(Jesus) told this parable: "…Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown."

…

"This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. …the seed on the good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop."

Luke 8: 8, 11, 15

Here is what I have been really struggling with for the last month: anger. It builds up like an electrostatic charge that must be discharged. The discharge is never pretty.

This morning during my quiet time, I had an image of Jesus operating a large tiller which was breaking up and turning over the hard ground (of my heart)—making it soft and fertile as He goes over the same patch several times. He has ear buds in his ears (maybe listening to music, but certainly muffling the sound of the tiller and my hollering and complaining) and a relaxed smile on his face as if there are no surprises.

Each time I felt a burst of anger today, I would picture Jesus and that tiller turning over the soil of my hardened heart. I could feel it in my chest, and it brought relief each time. There is still so much work to be done, but I want to be the good soil.