Rocky Ground

Moving along in our matrix, it appears that the seed that falls on rocky ground aligns well with the top left quadrant.

That is where obedience is high, yet understanding is low which combined yields interesting results. A great way to visualize this is how children respond to toys on Christmas morning.

Picture the perfect Christmas morning, the children are buzzing with excitement to open presents and that perfect moment comes to fruition when they receive the gift they have been asking for.

You can feel the energy and excitement as their dreams are coming true in front of their eyes. Now, fast forward a few hours, days, weeks, and months and the energy is all but a forgotten memory. The toy, if not lost, has most assuredly been forgotten and they are on to the next shiny desire of their heart. Why, in this all too common instance, does this occur?

Upon reflection, this seems to be a perfect parallel to the seed that falls on rocky ground as the immediate satisfaction is extremely high, yet the overall stick-to-it-ness is low due to the shallow roots that were established. Christmas mornings, just like the toys unwrapped, come and go, and unfortunately, the emotional tie to them both fades with time.

When I reflect on this, I see myself in the children on Christmas– and I see myself in the willing, but unrooted, disciples of Jesus. This is when I have tremendous ambition for something but no wherewithal to come through on it– when I am at a promotion at work that I’m not ready for– when I am at transactional, not deep, relationships in my business or personal life. I can be, we all can be, rocky soil that doesn’t allow the depth of our understanding to grow beyond short seasons of life.

Question to Consider

1. Reflecting on the imagery of a seed falling on rocky ground, how does it resonate with times in your life when initial excitement for spiritual growth or understanding quickly faded?
2. In what ways do you see parallels between immediate gratification and shallow spiritual roots?