Faith Finds A Way

I went for a walk along some old rails the other day. Rails that have long since been used. They were in the process of turning into a biking trail. Debris still scattered the sides. An old switcher. Fuse boxes. The old tracks had been cut into the side of a small mountain. Tall rock walls on either side of the path…the old train tracks.

As I walked along, I noticed how life was taking back the discarded debris. Life was coming back. And not just along the rusted out metal boxes and equipment that was once new.

In the cracks of the hard rock that edged the path, there was life. Flowers blooming. Ferns growing. I never really know how that happens. How seeds can grow…how they even get there! But they do. Through the smallest cracks. Seeds that have been scattered by the wind, birds, rain found their way into the tiny little crevices in the impenetrable rocky surface.

Little miracles that always bring a smile to my face.

And those little miracles remind me of the parable of the farmer sowing seeds.

You know the one…where the farmer scatters seeds across his fertile field but some fell on the footpath, others in the gravel, and still others in the thorns. (Matthew 13)

I look at the flowers, the ferns, growing in the rock and wonder what their future will be. It’s amazing that they were even able to grow there. But they are. I wonder how deep their roots are and if they will wilt under the hot sun because they cannot access water. If they will be easily uprooted because their roots are shallow and not anchored in the deep soil.

But then I see trees growing in the rock. Their roots split the rock as they were determined…unrelenting to seek out the water. Plants growing in rocky soil where their roots dig down farther and farther.

Every day we scatter seeds for the Lord. We scatter them through our actions, our words, our love. At times we intentionally planted seeds...like when we share God's word. Other times it is just through our daily lives. You never know if those seeds will take root and grow. It's easy to assume that when we scatter those seeds in good, fertile soil they will. Like when we encourage other Christians. The soil is already tilled, fertile, and ready to receive the seeds.

Other times the seeds fall in the rocks. In the thorns. In places we would assume nothing can grow. In places of shallow soil where it is hard for roots to take hold. But just like life, faith finds a way to grow. If we plant the seeds, God will find a way to grow the plants, to grow life, to grow faith.

I read somewhere “Feeding your faith is the seed; hearing it, again and again, is how you water the seed and build faith."

Maybe enough seeds have been planted in the rock. Enough water has found a way in, expanding the crevices. Water that will break down the rock over time making a way for those roots to find the soil. Good soil.

You may not see the results. You may not be the one to care for and nurture the small, fragile seedlings. But by continuing to sow seeds, scatter them everywhere, faith will appear. New life will appear.

Don’t ever stop scattering seeds. Don’t ever get tired of doing the good work. You never know if you are planting the first seed or the 100th seed in that location. Nor do you know if you are dripping water on that hard rock that is slowly eroding the surface.

“So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” Galatians 6:9

Keep Finding the Light.....