Choking Thorns

Out of the four quadrants of our matrix, the bottom right is where we find the choking thorns, and quite frankly where we find most of the world.

This is where understanding exists and yet obedience is nowhere to be found. Upon reflecting on why this seems to be a stumbling block for so many people two ideas surfaced that are worth exploring, Worry and Lust.

Why does worry choke out the Word in our lives?

It seems that worry has roots tied to the lack of trust. When worry surfaces it signals that we do not trust something in our future and when our current circumstances shift the immediate thought comes to mind of what can/should I do to make things better. In those instances, we no longer trust the items around us and it is then that we push God’s Word to the side and forge ahead with our own brute force.

Lust is the other side of this self-centered coin. Although it is not a word that we use often anymore it denotes an undertone that ties directly to the choking that occurs. When we lust after items of this world, be it money, success, status, or looks, we are choosing to pursue with a relentless pursuit of what we feel will make us fully and finally satisfied.

It looks a lot like, when I get this much money I will be set, or if my spouse would act more like someone else we would be happy, or when I get that promotion then people will have to respect me. The common theme in all of these examples is the lies we are pursuing because these are the things that the world categorizes as success and it creates an insatiable drive to never be satisfied and to lust more and more after those desires.

The choking thorns of worry and lust keep many from walking out what God desires for their lives. God breathed life into us– He gave us free will – and for many of us, that breath He desires for us to breathe is being choked out by the worries, lies, lusts, and desires of our hearts. We become the thorns through which we strangle our own optimization of our lives, of our ability to serve God. Jesus shows us a better way.

Questions to Consider

1. How does worry signal a lack of trust in God's provision and sovereignty over our lives?
2. How do worldly desires and pursuits lead to an insatiable appetite for more, ultimately choking out the Word of God in our lives?